Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will have to serve a six-month prison sentence following a recent court decision.
The ruling adds to an already long list of legal troubles for the former head of state.
On March 9th, a French court rejected his request for a merger of sentences in two separate cases, meaning he cannot serve them at the same time. As a result, his sentence in the “Bygmalion” case must now be enforced.
In this instance, Sarkozy was found guilty of using false invoices through Bygmalion, a communication company, to conceal overspending during his 2012 presidential campaign.
He had hoped to avoid further punishment by merging his sentences, having already completed his sentence in the “Bismuth” affair.
That case, also known as “l’affaire des écoutes“, dates back to 2014. He was convicted of attempting to bribe a magistrate, Gilbert Azibert, in exchange for confidential information about investigations concerning him.
The name “Paul Bismuth” comes from an alias Sarkozy used for a secret mobile phone. He served four months under electronic monitoring for this offence.
It is not yet known when Sarkozy will appear before the judge responsible for enforcing the sentence, or how it will be carried out. Possible options include community service, a fine, or house arrest under electronic surveillance, as reported by RTL and widely seen as the most likely outcome.
Meanwhile, he remains busy with yet another legal battle. His appeal trial, which opened on March 16th, concerns allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign received illegal funding from Libya. He is seeking a full acquittal in what is arguably the most serious case he currently faces.
Notably, Sarkozy had already served 20 days in prison in Paris in November in connection with this Libyan financing case before being released pending appeal, adding another chapter to a judicial saga that continues to follow France’s former president.
