France witnessed an unprecedented moment on Tuesday as former President Nicolas Sarkozy departed his home to begin serving a prison sentence, following his conviction for allegedly seeking Libyan funding for his 2007 presidential campaign.
Sarkozy, 70, left hand-in-hand with his wife, singer Carla Bruni, as supporters outside chanted “Nicolas, Nicolas! Free Nicolas!” and waved framed portraits of the former leader.
The one-time right-wing president, who governed from 2007 to 2012, has become the first former head of an EU nation to serve time behind bars. He was sentenced in September to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy, accused of soliciting funds from late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi to finance his campaign.
Despite maintaining his innocence and appealing the verdict, Sarkozy reported to La Santé prison in Paris, where he is expected to be held in solitary confinement in a nine-square-metre cell. “If they absolutely want me to sleep in prison, I will sleep in prison—but with my head held high,” he had told reporters after the ruling.
Judge Nathalie Gavarino, who presided over the case, described Sarkozy’s offences as being of “exceptional gravity.” His lawyers, however, plan to seek his release immediately, with an appeals court expected to review the request within two months.
The former president has faced several legal challenges since leaving office. Earlier this year, he completed a separate graft sentence under electronic surveillance. The latest conviction stems from allegations that his aides, on his behalf, brokered a secret deal with Kadhafi in 2005 to bankroll his successful 2007 campaign—a claim Sarkozy strongly denies.
While six in ten French citizens consider the sentence fair, many of Sarkozy’s supporters see the trial as politically motivated. He still maintains influence within France’s conservative circles and even met President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace days before entering prison.
Macron defended the meeting, saying, “It was normal, on a human level, for me to receive one of my predecessors in this context.”
At La Santé, Sarkozy joins a list of once-notorious inmates, including “Carlos the Jackal.” He reportedly brought along a biography of Jesus and The Count of Monte Cristo—the story of an innocent man’s wrongful imprisonment and quest for justice.
What You Should Know
Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s president from 2007 to 2012, is the first modern European head of state to serve jail time.
His conviction stems from allegations of illegal campaign financing linked to Libya’s late leader, Muammar Kadhafi. Sarkozy continues to deny wrongdoing, calling the case a “deep injustice.”
