France's highest court has upheld a sentence against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy over the illegal financing of his 2012 re-election campaign.
He was found guilty of overspending on his campaign, then hiring a PR firm named Bygmalion to cover it up.
Sarkozy, 70, was handed the one-year sentence in 2024 of which six months were suspended, meaning they could be served by wearing an electronic tag instead of going to jail.
He has always denied all allegations.
Prosecutors in the case said Sarkozy's UMP party spent nearly double the €22.5m (£19.4m) cap on his campaign, splurging on lavish campaign rallies and events.
To hide the costs, UMP then asked Bygmalion to invoice the party, rather than the campaign.
Today's ruling marks Sarkozy's second definitive conviction, who was in power from 2007 to 2012.
Last December, the High Court of Appeal upheld a corruption conviction, requiring Sarkozy to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for six months.
Then, in September, he was sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy.
Sarkozy spent 20 days in jail before being released earlier this month.
An appeal trial will be held next year. Until then, Sarkozy will be subject to strict judicial supervision and barred from leaving France.
Following his release, Sarkozy announced he is writing a book titled "A prisoner's diary," which reflects on his experience in jail.
An excerpt from the book notes the profound silence and noise of imprisonment: 'In prison there is nothing to see, and nothing to do... the noise is, unfortunately, constant. But - like in the desert - inner life strengthens in jail.'
