France's Sarkozy faces jail term in campaign financing trial

PARIS (AP) — The trial of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy concludes Tuesday in Paris, after a month during which the court sought to determine whether he broke laws on campaign financing in his unsuccessful 2012 re-election bid.

The verdict is expected to be rendered at a later date. Prosecutors have requested a six-month prison term, as well as a six-month suspended sentence and a fine of 3,750 euros ($4,468).

Sarkozy, France's president from 2007 to 2012, denies wrongdoing. He is accused of having spent almost twice the maximum legal amount of 22.5 million euros ($27.5 million) on the re-election bid that he lost to Socialist Francois Hollande.

The trial comes after Sarkozy, 66, was found guilty on March 1 of corruption and influence peddling in another case. He has appealed that verdict.

In their conclusions last week, prosecutors said Sarkozy knew weeks before the 2012 election that his campaign financing — strictly limited under French law — was getting close to the legal maximum. They accused him of having ignored two notes from his accountants warning against racking up additional expenses.

Instead, he gave instructions that led to more money being spent and did not put in place a supervision system, prosecutors said.

“Sarkozy is the signatory and the only person responsible for his campaign financing. He is responsible for monitoring expenses, which he did not do,” prosecutor Vanessa Perree said.

He showed “his intention to exceed (the limit) by continuing to hold his rallies,” she added.

Prosecutors said on March 10, 2012, eight weeks before the presidential election runoff, the campaign’s budget was already above the legal limit. The next day, Sarkozy held a giant rally at Villepinte, north of Paris, which alone cost 6 million euros.

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