According to French media reports, Sarkozy’s lawyer Vincent Desry argued that his client was innocent in the “wiretapping” case.
Desry announced that Sarkozy will appeal the decision of the Paris Court of Appeal in the “wiretapping” case.
The French lawyer said his client would request that the case be sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals, the highest court.
Accusation of passing off election spending as party activity
In the “wiretapping” case, Sarkozy is accused of illegally financing the presidential election campaign he lost in 2012.
The former French President reportedly spent €42.8 million on his election campaign, €20.3 million more than the legal limit of €22.5 million.
Sarkozy is accused of receiving false invoices from the campaign company Bygmalion to disguise his election expenses as party activities, and the company is accused of issuing false invoices to hide Sarkozy’s expenses.
In 2014, campaign director Jerome Lavrilleux admitted that the cost of rallies organized by the company had been reduced and billed as party expenses.
Sarkozy was sentenced to 1 year in prison in 2021 in the “wiretapping” case in which he was accused of corruption.
The former French President had appealed the court’s decision.
In November 2023, the prosecutor’s office requested a suspended one-year prison sentence for Sarkozy.
Yesterday, the Paris Court of Appeal sentenced Sarkozy to a total of one year in prison, suspended for six months, for illegally financing his 2012 election campaign.
