For years, France’s ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy (66) has been in the focus of the judiciary because of various affairs, and for the second time within a few months he has now been sentenced to imprisonment. The Paris court on Thursday sentenced the former head of state to one year in prison for illegal campaign funding. He can serve the sentence as electronically monitored house arrest with ankle shackles. Whether it will come to that is open, the defense announced an appeal.
In his failed re-election campaign in 2012, Sarkozy had significantly exceeded the costs capped for reasons of equal opportunities. Instead of the permitted 22.5 million euros, his team spent at least 42.8 million euros, according to the court.
In order to cover up the overspending, his conservative party camouflaged the expenses with a system of fictitious invoices, the verdict said. Sarkozy is said not to have invented the system, but he ignored two written instructions from accountants.
In the grounds of the verdict, the presiding judge emphasized the gravity of the offenses, spoke of a large sum of money and a large number of manipulated documents. Sarkozy had denied the allegations. The prosecution called for a year in prison, half of which was suspended, and a fine. Sarkozy’s defense pleaded for acquittal.
In the trial, 13 other people were on trial on suspicion of fraud and aiding and abetting. All were found guilty. Some of the prison sentences have been suspended and can be served in house arrest. Sarkozy had already been sentenced in March to three years imprisonment, two on probation, for bribery and illicit influence. The ex-president also appeals here.
After the verdict in France, Franz Fiedler, one of the proponents of the rule of law & anti-corruption referendum, is also calling for a significant tightening of the law in Austria in the event of excessive election campaign spending.
