Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy starts five-year prison sentence for campaign finance conspiracy

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy reported to prison in Paris on Tuesday to begin serving a five-year sentence, becoming the first former leader of modern France to be incarcerated.

Sarkozy departed his home that morning, waving to supporters before being driven under heavy police escort to La Santé Prison in southern Paris.

The 70-year-old ex-president was convicted last month of criminal conspiracy for allegedly accepting funds from Libya to finance his successful 2007 presidential campaign in exchange for political favors. While he has appealed the conviction, he is expected to serve his sentence either in solitary confinement or in the facility’s “VIP wing.”

This special section of La Santé is reserved for inmates who cannot safely be housed with the general prison population, including politicians, former police officers, and individuals linked to extremist or high-profile cases.

Cells in the wing are modestly furnished with a metal bed, small desk, refrigerator, cooking hob, television, shower, toilet, and fixed phone line. Notable former inmates of La Santé include Manuel Noriega, the former Panamanian dictator; Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, known as “Carlos the Jackal”; and the infamous French criminal Jacques Mesrine, who once escaped from the prison disguised as a guard.

Former prisoners have described the facility as relatively comfortable compared to ordinary prisons, though they note issues such as constant nighttime noise.

In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) as he left for prison, Sarkozy maintained his innocence.

“As I prepare to enter La Santé prison, I want to tell the French people that it’s not a former president being locked up today, but an innocent man,” he wrote. “I will continue to denounce this judicial scandal. I am not to be pitied — my wife, children, and many friends stand by me.”

Sarkozy expressed “deep sorrow for France,” saying the country was being humiliated by what he called “an expression of vengeance driven by hatred.”

His legal team has filed a request for early release, with the court expected to rule on it within two months.

Source Video: Associated Press