Key points
- Expected to be held in solitary confinement
- Court cites serious disruption to public order
- Vows to fight conviction and maintain dignity
PARIS, France: Nicolas Sarkozy is set to become the first former French president in living memory to be imprisoned when he begins a five-year sentence on Tuesday at Paris’s La Santé prison.
Convicted of criminal conspiracy for allegedly financing his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya, Sarkozy insists he is innocent but will begin serving his sentence in the historic facility, which has held notable inmates such as Alfred Dreyfus and Carlos the Jackal, according to AP News.
Sarkozy told Le Figaro he expects to be placed in solitary confinement for security reasons or possibly in the “vulnerable” inmates’ wing, often dubbed the VIP section. La Santé, opened in 1867 and recently renovated, provides 9-square-metre cells with basic amenities.
Pierre Botton, a former businessman imprisoned there between 2020 and 2022, said, “It’s not Nicolas Sarkozy, president of the Republic, that’s coming … It’s a man and he will live exactly the same thing that everyone does.”
Unprecedented ruling
In an unprecedented ruling, the court ordered Sarkozy to begin his sentence immediately, citing “the seriousness of the disruption to public order caused by the offence.” The 70-year-old has vowed to “hold my head high” and “fight till the end.” His wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, has expressed support online, and his son Louis has called for a rally outside their Paris home.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed Sarkozy’s transfer on Tuesday, adding he would personally ensure security measures were met. Former inmates described the shock of confinement — body searches, basic cells, and life reduced to strict routine.
“When you are at 7 p.m., you are in jail, alone… Everything is finished. The game is finished,” Botton said.
Sarkozy is permitted three books — including The Count of Monte Cristo — and family photos as he prepares for France’s most high-profile incarceration in decades.
