France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy has faced a definitive legal defeat after the country's highest court rejected his final appeal against conviction for illegal campaign financing.
The Bygmalion Affair: American-Style Excess
The case, known as the "Bygmalion" affair, centred on Sarkozy's lavish 2012 re-election campaign that featured elaborate American-style rallies organised by the events company of the same name. Prosecutors demonstrated that the former rightwing leader, who served as president between 2007 and 2012, knowingly hid excessive spending that far exceeded legal limits.
During the 2021 trial, state prosecutors highlighted Sarkozy's "couldn't care less" attitude toward financial constraints as he demanded daily rallies resembling "American-style shows" in stadiums filled with thousands of flag-waving supporters.
Spending Nearly Double Legal Limit
Court documents revealed that Sarkozy's campaign team received explicit warnings from accountants that they were approaching the official spending cap of €22.5 million. Despite these alerts, Sarkozy insisted on organising additional events to counter his rival François Hollande, who was gaining momentum as a "Mr Normal" candidate critical of financial excess.
The final tally showed campaign expenditure reached at least €42.8 million - nearly double the legal maximum permitted for a French presidential election campaign. Sarkozy maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, but his multi-year appeal process has now concluded unfavourably.
Legal Consequences and Other Cases
France's Cour de Cassation, which reviews legal procedure rather than case facts, has upheld the earlier ruling, making Sarkozy's conviction final. The former president had been sentenced on appeal to a one-year prison term, with six months suspended. The remaining six-month sentence can be served through alternative means such as electronic tagging rather than incarceration.
This conviction represents just one chapter in Sarkozy's ongoing legal challenges since leaving office. He was only released from Paris's La Santé prison on 10 November after serving 20 days in connection with a separate conviction related to alleged illegal funding from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's regime for his 2007 presidential campaign.
Sarkozy described his recent prison experience as "gruelling" and a "nightmare", though he continues to appeal the Gaddafi-related conviction. The latest ruling marks another significant fall from grace for the once-dominant political figure who ultimately lost the 2012 election to Socialist candidate François Hollande.
