Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has officially begun serving his five-year prison sentence after being convicted of “criminal conspiracy” in connection with the alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign.
According to French broadcaster BFM TV, Sarkozy arrived at La Santé Prison in Paris on Tuesday morning, becoming the first former French leader to be officially incarcerated.
More than 100 supporters gathered near his residence to show solidarity as he left for prison. His lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, said a request for release would be submitted “very quickly,” noting that the former president is expected to spend “three weeks to a month” in detention before the appeal court rules on the case.
Before his departure, Sarkozy posted a message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), describing his imprisonment as a “judicial scandal” and an “ordeal” that has lasted more than a decade.
> “I will continue to denounce this judicial scandal… a case of illegal financing without the slightest financing,” he wrote. “This morning, I feel profound sorrow for France, humiliated by an expression of vengeance that has raised hatred to an unparalleled level. I have no doubt the truth will triumph.”
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, was sentenced last month to five years in prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy but acquitted of passive corruption and other illegal financing charges. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that two police officers were assigned to a neighboring cell during Sarkozy’s first night in prison to ensure his safety, citing potential threats against him.
“The protection will remain in place as long as it is deemed necessary,” Nuñez told Europe 1 Radio.
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, also told BFM TV that his client received no special treatment behind bars.
> “He is in a nine-square-meter cell. There is noise all the time — prisoners shout and bang on the walls,” Darrois said. “Given the positions he has held, he could have requested a different status. He didn’t ask for it, so he doesn’t have it.”
The conviction marks another chapter in Sarkozy’s long-running legal battles, stemming from allegations of illicit campaign financing tied to late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
