Former French President Sarkozy sentenced to one year in prison

FFormer French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to one year in prison for illegal campaign financing. On Thursday, the Paris court ruled that the ruling would take the form of electronically monitored house arrest. “As a candidate, he failed to control costs,” Chief Justice Caroline Feige said Thursday in Paris. Sarkozy stepped away from power. Another 13 defendants were convicted along with the former president

“It wasn’t his first campaign, he had experience,” Figger said. According to the attorney general, Campaign In 2012, it cost more than 40 million euros, twice the amount allowed. An event company called Bygmalion hid the costs with fake invoices. Sarkozy had accused the company of having influenced itself in the election campaign.

Sarkozy was already convicted in another trial in February. There he was accused of bribery and illicit influence. The Paris Criminal Court sentenced him to three years in prison, two of which are under probation. At the end of the trial in December, the public prosecutor had requested four years in prison, two of which were on probation against the 66-year-old former head of state. The judges considered that it was proven that Sarkozy tried in early 2014 to obtain confidential information through his lawyer from the attorney general at the Court of Cassation, Gilbert Azibert.

In return, Sarkozy was said to have offered Azibert’s support in applying for a job in the Principality of Monaco. Sarkozy wanted to gain insight into confidential judicial files through the Supreme Judge so that he could better assess the investigations against him. It was about the claim that he took advantage of the intellectual weakness of billionaire Lilian Bettencourt to receive money from her. The proceedings regarding the L’Oreal heiress were eventually stopped.