The court upheld the decision of a lower court, agreeing with prosecutors that Sarkozy's team exceeded the spending limit by billing his right-wing Les Républicains party instead of the official campaign budget.

Sarkozy, who served as French president from 2007 to 2012, received a one-year prison sentence for his role in the campaign overspend. In addition, several party and campaign officials were also sentenced to prison and banned from running for office.

Throughout the proceedings, Sarkozy has maintained his innocence, insisting that he was unaware of any false billing carried out by his team. However, the court found the evidence against him to be substantial enough to warrant a prison sentence.

This is not the only legal challenge facing Sarkozy. In a separate corruption case, he has been sentenced to three years of detention, including two years suspended and one under house arrest. Sarkozy has already appealed to France's highest court regarding this case, and he still has the option to appeal the sentence in the current campaign financing case.

Furthermore, Sarkozy has been referred to a criminal court regarding allegations of illegal Libyan financing during his 2007 campaign. The trial for this case is set to take place in 2025.

These numerous legal battles have cast a shadow over Sarkozy's political legacy. Once a prominent figure on the French political stage, he now faces the possibility of spending time in prison for his actions during his presidency and election campaigns. The outcomes of his appeals and upcoming trials will determine his fate in the years to come.