Paris (AFP)

One year in prison, including six months suspended, and a fine of 3,750 euros were requested Thursday against the former head of state Nicolas Sarkozy, tried with 13 other defendants in the case of excessive expenditure of his 2012 presidential campaign.

Sentences ranging from 18 months to 4 years of suspended imprisonment were requested against the other defendants.

"Nicolas Sarkozy obviously does not regret anything since he only came to one hearing," said prosecutor Vanessa Perrée, denouncing "the total carelessness" of the former president.

"This behavior of not considering oneself as a litigant like another, as a citizen among citizens, is in keeping with what it was during this presidential campaign, being outside the fray," a- she continued sharply.

"This casualness vis-à-vis (the other defendants) and the court is a reflection of the casualness in his campaign," she insisted.

In March, Nicolas Sarkozy had become the first ex-president of the Fifth Republic to be sentenced to prison (three years, one of which was closed), for corruption and influence peddling in the so-called "wiretapping" affair.

Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign was marked by “improvisation and total lack of preparation,” Ms. Perrée said during her indictment.

The prosecutor also joked about these "political professionals" who knew nothing about the cost of electoral meetings.

"Nicolas Sarkozy said: + Who can dare say that my campaign has slipped? It's a joke! + But it's a joke to make us believe that these people were not monitoring anything. It is a joke to to see oneself take refuge behind their lack of competence, "she was indignant.

"There are 14 defendants and almost as many versions. These multiple versions and their impossible combination shows that there are necessarily lies," said prosecutor Nicolas Baïetto.

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Despite the warning notes on the risk of exceeding the cost of the campaign, from March 7, 2012, "Nicolas Sarkozy wants one meeting per day" and therefore "sails the galley", ironically the prosecutor.

- "No doubt" -

For them, the guilt of the ex-leaders of Bygmalion, which organized the meetings, and of its subsidiary in charge of events Event & Cie and of the ex-executives of the UMP is "no doubt".

Throughout the debates, the former executives of the UMP (now Les Républicains) and Bygmalion, the campaign manager, the accountants, all sought to minimize their role, or even to deny it.

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Only 4 of the 14 defendants (3 ex-executives of Bygmalion and the former deputy campaign manager of the president-candidate, Jérôme Lavrilleux), partially acknowledged their responsibility in the establishment of a system of false invoices imagined to hide the boom in campaign spending for the president running for re-election.

Prosecutors have asked for three years in prison and a 50,000 euro fine for Jérôme Lavrilleux.

Against the three ex-executives of Bygmalion who admitted to having accepted the establishment of the system of false invoices, eighteen months of suspended prison were required.

The heaviest sentence (4 years suspended prison sentence) was required against Eric Cesari, former director general of the UMP, and Guillaume Lambert, who was the campaign director in 2012.

Revealed two years after the defeat of Mr. Sarkozy, the scandal had led to serial explosions on the right.

The investigation revealed that the real price of the 44 meetings organized by the event agency Bygmalion had been drastically reduced - 80% of the invoices have disappeared - and the rest paid by the UMP in the name of fictitious conventions of the party.

The investigation "did not establish" that Nicolas Sarkozy would have "ordered", that he would have "participated", or even that he would have been informed, according to the prosecution.

On the other hand, he "undoubtedly" benefited from it, thus having "means far superior to those authorized by law".

The legal ceiling was exceeded by 22 million euros.

A thesis vigorously contested by the Head of State during his four hours of questioning.

There was "no excitement" of the campaign, which looked "like a sister" to that of 2007, or even that of his opponent in the second round, François Hollande, hammered Mr. Sarkozy at the helm.

How could the 2012 campaign then have "cost double", he chanted.

"Unbelievable!"

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Former UMP boss Jean-François Cope, heard as a simple witness in the trial, blasted Thursday on France Inter for Nicolas Sarkozy's "untenable defense strategy" and his inability to "assume" his actions.

© 2021 AFP