Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been granted early release from his sentence related to excessive spending during his 2012 election campaign. A French court approved the 71-year-old politician's request for a reduction in his sentence, effectively freeing him from the obligation to wear an electronic bracelet. The decision, which took into account the former head of state's age, came into effect on May 7.

The case stemmed from the Bygmalion PR agency affair. The court found that the 2012 campaign exceeded the legal spending limit by 18 million euros, with the extra costs hidden through fake invoices from the agency. Sarkozy was initially sentenced to one year in prison, later reduced to six months of house arrest.

This ruling is the latest chapter in the long legal saga of the politician, who served as president from 2007 to 2012 and became the first former French leader to receive a custodial sentence. In 2021, he was convicted of corruption and bribery of a judge at the Court of Cassation, receiving a prison sentence that was also replaced by an electronic bracelet.

The most high-profile case remains the so-called "Libyan dossier." In September 2025, Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and receiving funds from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi to finance his 2007 campaign. For this episode, the politician spent 20 days in prison last autumn before being released under judicial supervision pending an appeal. Despite a series of convictions, Nicolas Sarkozy continues to deny all charges.

Source: podrobno.uz