PARIS (NEWSnet/AP) — An appeals court in Paris on Wednesday upheld a guilty verdict against former France President Nicolas Sarkozy for illegal campaign financing in his failed 2012 re-election bid.

Sarkozy was convicted in a lower court in September 2021 and sentenced to a year of house arrest for illegal campaign financing.

The court said Sarkozy is allowed to serve the one-year sentence at home by wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet.

Court of Appeal of Paris sentenced Sarkozy to a year in prison, of which six months were suspended.

The former president’s lawyer said he will appeal to Court of Cassation, France’s highest court.

With appeal pending, Sarkozy cannot be imprisoned, in accordance with France law.

Sarkozy was France’s president from 2007 to 2012. He has denied wrongdoing.

He was accused of having spent almost twice the maximum legal amount of 22.5 million euros ($27.5 million) on the reelection bid that he lost to Francois Hollande.

The court stated that Sarkozy “knew” the legal limit was at stake and “voluntarily” failed to supervise additional expenses.

Sarkozy retired from active politics in 2017.

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