La French Court of Cassation put an end to the Bygmalion case, confirming the condemnation of the former president Nicolas Sarkozy for the illegal financing of the 2012 election campaign. appeal presented by the defense was rejected, making the sentence definitive which provides un year of imprisonment, Of which six months without parole.
Sarkozy, released on November 10 After three weeks in Santé prison, he commented on the decision with a laconic "I take note". His lawyers are now evaluating the possibility of appealing to the European Court of Human Rights, but on the internal level the matter is closed: the conviction officially enters the criminal record of the former head of State, becoming the second final criminal conviction, after that of the dossier Bismuth, which in 2024 had cost him a year in prison – also then on probation with a bracelet.
Sarkozy: Why the Supreme Court said "no" to the appeal
In judgment, the Supreme Court The Court was clear: the illicit financing was "established" and the evidence gathered was deemed more than sufficient. According to the judges, Sarkozy personally authorized his staff to incur costs that far exceeded the legal limit, assuming political and administrative responsibility for the campaign's expenses. This position, according to the Court, is irreconcilable with the defense line adopted over the years by his entourage.
Investigations had already uncovered a system designed to mask the enormous gap between the legal and actual budgets. The 2012 campaign would have reached nearly €43 million, compared to the €22,5 million allowed. To conceal the excess, a mechanism was activated. double billing, through which a significant portion of event costs were shifted to the accounts of the then UMP party, now Les Républicains, thanks to fictitious contracts with the communications and events company Bygmalion. It was this triangulation that sparked the investigation that has dogged Sarkozy for over a decade.
The confirmation of the sentence deals a new blow to the image of the former president, already burdened by another heavy sentence: on September 25th the court sentenced him to five years in prison in the trial on the alleged Libyan funds allocated to the 2007 campaign. At the time, the judges had not been able to consider the Bygmalion case because it was not yet definitive; now, in view of theappeal fixed between March 16 and June 3, the new sentence will inevitably weigh on his judicial framework.
Sarkozy continues to deny any responsibility, calling the accusations "fairytales" and "lies." However, at least on the Bygmalion front, the French justice system has finally put an end to the case.
