France’s top court on Wednesday (November 26, 2025) upheld ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conviction for illegal campaign financing of his re-election bid in 2012.

The decision by the Court of Cassation makes definitive Sarkozy’s conviction to a year in prison, half of it suspended, for fraudulently overspending on the failed campaign.

Under French law the sentence can be served at home, monitored with an electronic bracelet or other requirements set by a judge.

The decision comes just two weeks after Sarkozy’s release from prison pending an appeal in another campaign financing case.