Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of illegal campaign financing over his failed 2012 re-election bid by a Paris court on Thursday.

This was Sarkozy’s second conviction this year. He had led France between 2007 and 2012, but has lost his popularity with conservatives due to legal problems.

He was not yet given a sentence by the court.

For the former president, 66 years old, prosecution sought a one year sentence with half of it suspended. It is unlikely that he will be taken to jail right away as he could appeal the sentence.

According to the prosecution, his conservative party spent almost twice the amount allowed by electoral law for extravagant rallies. Then, he hired a friendlier public relations agency in order to conceal the expense.

Sarkozy denied any wrongdoing. Sarkozy told the court in June that neither he nor his team were involved in planning the second presidential term’s logistics or the decision-making process for how to spend the funds during election week.

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