Prison request for Nicolas Sarkozy

According to the French press, the “wiretapping” case, known as Bygmalion, has been in the Paris Court of Appeal since November 8. As part of the case, the prosecution requested a one-year suspended prison sentence for Sarkozy.

As part of the “wiretapping” case, Sarkozy is accused of illegally financing the presidential election campaign that he lost in 2012.

The former French president is alleged to have spent €42.8 million on the election campaign, €20.3 million above the legal limit of €22.5 million.

Sarkozy is accused of receiving false invoices from the company Bygmalion, which led the campaign to present election expenses as party activities, and the company in question is accused of issuing false invoices to hide Sarkozy’s expenses.

Election campaign manager Jerome Lavrilleux admitted in 2014 that the costs of rallies organized by the company were reduced and billed as party expenses.

Sarkozy was sentenced to 1 year in prison in 2021 in the “wiretapping” case in which he was accused of corruption. The former French president appealed the court decision. (AA)