PARIS (Realist English). France’s Court of Cassation has rejected former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s last remaining appeal in the Bygmalion case, confirming his conviction for illegal financing of his failed 2012 re-election campaign and closing the door on any further legal challenge inside France.
Sarkozy had received a one-year sentence in February 2024 — six months suspended — after investigators uncovered an extensive system of false invoices that masked nearly €43 million in campaign spending, almost double the €22.5 million legal limit. Prosecutors found that campaign costs were shifted to the UMP party using fictitious billing through Bygmalion, an events company that disguised rallies as party conventions.
The Court of Cassation did not reassess the evidence but ruled that the law had been correctly applied and that Sarkozy, as a candidate, approved expenses despite knowing they exceeded legal limits. The court also upheld convictions of his campaign manager and two senior UMP officials involved in the scheme.
In a statement, Sarkozy’s legal team said he “acknowledges the rejection of his appeal” and is considering taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights. He will not go to prison but is expected to serve the sentence under partial house arrest or electronic monitoring.
The ruling marks another serious setback for the former president. In September, Sarkozy was convicted in a separate case of criminal conspiracy for allegedly seeking Libyan financing for his 2007 campaign and was sentenced to five years in prison, a €100,000 fine, and a five-year ban on holding public office. He briefly served time in La Santé prison before being released under judicial supervision. The appeal in that case is scheduled for March to June 2026.
Sarkozy also has a prior final conviction in the Bismuth wiretapping affair, for which he served part of a one-year corruption sentence under electronic monitoring before receiving conditional release in 2025.
