Former French President, Sarkozy Jailed in Landmark Case
Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president has become the first ex-leader of France to be incarcerated since World War II. He began a five-year prison sentence for conspiring to finance his 2007 election campaign with money supplied by the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Sarkozy who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012 is appealing his conviction and is currently held at La Santé prison in Paris. The cell he occupies measures approximately 9 square meters (95 square feet), located in the prison’s isolation wing for his safety. Despite his incarceration, Sarkozy maintains his innocence and has expressed hope that truth will ultimately prevail.
The former president, aged 70, was driven through the streets of Montparnasse early Monday morning amid a heavy police presence. As he left his villa in the upscale 16th district of Paris, more than 100 supporters gathered to applaud him with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy by his side. His sons, Louis and Pierre also made appeals for support and messages of love, respectively.
In his departure, Sarkozy addressed the media via social media, stating, “I have no doubt. Truth will prevail. But how crushing the price will have been.” He also expressed sorrow for France’s perceived humiliation, saying, “It is not a former president they are locking up this morning — it is an innocent man.”
Inside La Santé prison, Sarkozy has refused special treatment but has been placed in the isolation wing for his safety. His cell is equipped with a toilet, shower, desk, and a small TV. He is permitted one hour of solitary exercise each day.
The legal case centers around allegations that his 2007 campaign was financed with millions of euros in Libyan cash. While Sarkozy was cleared of personally accepting the funds, he was convicted of criminal association with aides Brice Hortefeux and Claude Guéant for their involvement in secret campaign financing from Libya. Both aides had meetings with Gaddafi’s intelligence chief in 2005 arranged through a Lebanese intermediary who died shortly before Sarkozy’s conviction.
Despite the conviction, Sarkozy’s legal team has lodged an appeal and he is still considered innocent until the process concludes. The court cited the “exceptional seriousness of the facts” in sentencing him to jail.
In a show of official support, President Emmanuel Macron met with Sarkozy at the Élysée Palace before his transfer and stated, “It is normal that on a human level, I should receive one of my predecessors in this context.” Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin also announced he would visit Sarkozy in prison to ensure his safety and proper treatment.
Ahead of his incarceration, Sarkozy told media outlets that he was unafraid of prison and would face it with dignity. He plans to bring two books with him: “The Life of Jesus” by Jean-Christian Petitfils and “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas, the classic novel about wrongful imprisonment and revenge.
This unprecedented event marks a historic moment in French political history, highlighting the ongoing fight against corruption and accountability at the highest levels of government.
