Paul KirbyEurope digital editor and
Hugh Schofieldin Paris
Nicolas Sarkozy has made history as the first former French president to serve time in prison, beginning a five-year sentence for allegedly conspiring to fund his election campaign using money from the deceased Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Since World War Two, when Nazi collaborator Philippe Pétain was incarcerated for treason in 1945, no other former French leader had faced imprisonment.
Sarkozy, who held the presidency from 2007 to 2012, has lodged an appeal against his prison sentence at La Santé prison, where he will be kept in a small cell located in the isolation section.
More than 100 supporters cheered and called out “Nicolas!” as he departed his home in the upscale 16th district of Paris, hand in hand with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
His son Louis, 28, appealed to supporters for their encouragement, while another son, Pierre, requested a message of love – “nothing more, please”.
Nicolas Sarkozy, 70, was transported through the entrance of the overcrowded 19th-Century prison in the Montparnasse area south of the Seine River at 09:40 local time (07:40 GMT), while many police officers cordoned off the surrounding streets.
He continues to claim his innocence regarding the controversial Libyan money case and shared a message on X as he was being taken to the prison: “I have no doubt. Truth will triumph. But the cost has been crushing.”
“With steadfast strength I tell [the French people] it is not a former president being imprisoned today – it is an innocent man,” he stated. “Do not pity me for I have my wife and my children with me… but today I feel profound sorrow for a France humiliated by a thirst for revenge.”
Shortly after Sarkozy entered the prison, his lawyer Christophe Ingrain announced that a request for his release had been submitted. He stated that nothing warranted Sarkozy’s confinement, indicating: “He’ll remain inside for a minimum of three weeks or a month.”
Sarkozy has declared he does not seek special privileges while at La Santé prison, although he has been placed in the isolation wing for his safety, as other inmates are known drug traffickers or have been convicted of terrorism.
EPACompact Cell with TV, and One Hour Daily Exercise
Sarkozy’s isolation cell is reported to be on the top floor of the prison and will measure approximately 9-11 square meters (95-120 square feet). There had previously been discussion about him serving his sentence in a separate wing designated for “vulnerable individuals”, where other VIPs have also been incarcerated in the past.
His cell will include a toilet, shower, desk, small electric stove, and a small television, for which he must pay a monthly fee of €14 (£12), along with the option for a small refrigerator.
The former president is entitled to receive updates from outside and allow family visits as well as written and phone communications.
However, he is effectively in solitary confinement, permitted only one hour per day for solitary exercise in the courtyard designated for isolation.
“Conditions of detention in an isolation section are quite severe,” stated Flavie Rault, a former deputy head of La Santé, to BFMTV. “You are constantly alone. The only interaction comes from prison staff. You never encounter another inmate due to security concerns, leading to a form of social isolation that complicates life.”
At the end of the previous week, Sarkozy was welcomed at the Élysée Palace by President Emmanuel Macron, who informed journalists on Monday that “it was natural, on a human level, to meet with one of my predecessors in that situation”.
Macron emphasized on Tuesday that it was not within his purview “to comment on or criticize judicial choices”, but acknowledged that for many in France, witnessing “a president incarcerated due to this judicial ruling would elicit commentary”.
In another indication of official backing for the ex-president, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin stated he would visit him in prison to ensure Sarkozy’s safety and the appropriate operation of the facility.
“I cannot remain indifferent to a man’s distress,” he added.
ReutersSince leaving office in 2012, Sarkozy has faced numerous criminal investigations and was required to wear an electronic monitoring device for months following a conviction last December for attempting to bribe a judge for confidential details related to another case.
Next month, France’s highest administrative court is expected to deliver its ruling on Sarkozy’s appeal against a six-month prison sentence connected to another illegal campaign financing scandal dubbed the Bygmalion affair.
Prior to his entry into La Santé prison, Sarkozy participated in a series of media interviews, expressing to La Tribune: “I do not fear prison. I will maintain my dignity, even at the prison gates.”
Sarkozy has consistently denied wrongdoing in relation to the allegations that his presidential campaign in 2007 was financed by large sums of money from Libya.
The former center-right politician was exonerated from personally obtaining the funds but was found guilty of criminal conspiracy along with two close associates, Brice Hortefeux and Claude Guéant, for their involvement in covert campaign financing from Libyan sources.
Both men had discussions with Gaddafi’s intelligence head and brother-in-law in 2005, with a meeting facilitated by a Franco-Lebanese intermediary named Ziad Tiakeddine, who passed away in Lebanon just before Sarkozy’s conviction.
While appealing, Sarkozy is still regarded as innocent; however, he has been instructed that he must serve his prison time due to the “exceptional gravity of the offenses”.
Sarkozy mentioned he would take two books along with him into prison: a biography of Jesus by Jean-Christian Petitfils and Alexandre Dumas’s classic tale, The Count of Monte Cristo, revolving around a man unjustly imprisoned who escapes to exact revenge on his accusers.
