It was the second guilty verdict this year for Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012 and retains influence among conservatives despite falling from grace over his legal woes.

The court was yet to say what sentence he would receive.

Prosecutors were seeking a one-year prison sentence, half of it suspended, for the 66-year old former president.

He is in any case unlikely to go to jail immediately as he would be expected to appeal the sentence.

His conservative party, the prosecutors said, spent nearly double the €22.5 million allowed under electoral law on extravagant campaign rallies and then hired a friendly public relations agency to hide the cost.

Sarkozy has denied wrongdoing.

He told the court in June that he had not been involved in the logistics of his campaign for a second term as president nor in how money was spent during the election run-up.