ALBAWABA- Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy began serving a five-year prison sentence in Paris on Tuesday, marking a dramatic fall from grace for one of France’s most influential political figures.
The 70-year-old former leader was convicted of criminal conspiracy over illicit Libyan funding for his 2007 presidential campaign, a case that has rocked France’s political establishment for more than a decade.
Sarkozy arrived at La Santé Prison in southern Paris early Tuesday, accompanied by his lawyers after bidding farewell to his wife, Carla Bruni, and a group of supporters gathered outside his home chanting, “Free Nicolas!” and singing the national anthem.
In a post on X before entering prison, Sarkozy insisted on his innocence, writing, “It is not a former president of the Republic being locked up today, but an innocent man,” calling the verdict a “judicial scandal.”
The conviction follows a Paris court ruling on September 25, 2025, which found Sarkozy guilty of conspiring to secure millions of euros from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime to finance his 2007 campaign in exchange for potential diplomatic favors.
Prosecutors described the scheme as a “Faustian pact” involving cash transfers, offshore accounts, and intermediaries, though Sarkozy was acquitted on related corruption and direct financing charges. Citing the case’s “exceptional gravity,” the court imposed the prison term immediately despite pending appeals.
Sarkozy will be held in isolation for security reasons in a 9-square-meter cell equipped with a private shower, landline, and television. Reports say he brought several books, including The Count of Monte Cristo and a biography of Jesus, intending to spend his time writing.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, a close ally, pledged to ensure Sarkozy’s safety and humane conditions during confinement.
The sentence makes Sarkozy the first French president imprisoned since World War II collaborator Philippe Pétain, marking a historic moment in France’s judicial history. It also caps years of legal troubles for the former leader, who previously received suspended sentences in separate corruption and influence-peddling cases.
