PARIS: A Paris appeals court ruled that ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy was guilty of illegal campaign financing over his failed 2012 re-election bid, confirming a previous ruling by a lower court, but his lawyer said he would take his case to France’s highest court.

Sarkozy was sentenced to a one-year prison sentence on Wednesday, half of which suspended, that can be served through alternative means such as wearing an electronic bracelet without going to jail.

Sarkozy, aged 69, had been handed a one-year prison sentence in 2021 when first found guilty, though that was suspended while he launched his appeal. The new appeal will again mean the sentence is placed on hold.

“Today’s ruling is highly questionable, that is why we will appeal to the Cour de Cassation,” his lawyer Vincent Desry told reporters, reiterating that Sarkozy was innocent.