FRANCE – Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday became the first ex-leader in modern French history to begin a prison sentence, marking a watershed moment in the country’s political and ethical landscape.
Sarkozy, 70, started serving a five-year jail term at La Santé prison in Paris after being convicted of conspiring to fund his 2007 presidential campaign with money from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, according to BBC News.
More than 100 supporters gathered outside his home in the affluent 16th district, cheering as he left with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. His son Louis had earlier called for “a show of love and solidarity,” reports Reuters.
In a post on X before entering prison, Sarkozy declared, “It is not a former president they are locking up this morning, it is an innocent man,” expressing faith that “truth will prevail.”
His lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, told BFMTV that an appeal had been lodged, arguing that “nothing justified his imprisonment” and that he might remain inside for “at least three weeks or a month.”
The ex-president’s cell measures about 10 square meters and includes a bed, desk, shower, and small television. Former La Santé deputy head Flavie Rault described such isolation units as “pretty hard,” noting that detainees “never come across another inmate.”
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President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged meeting Sarkozy last week at the Élysée Palace, telling reporters it was “normal on a human level” but declined to comment on judicial decisions.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said he would visit Sarkozy “to ensure his safety and the proper functioning of the prison,” adding, “I cannot be insensitive to a man’s distress.”
Sarkozy continues to deny all wrongdoing. He maintains that the conviction is politically motivated, part of what he calls “a will for revenge” against his presidency.
As France’s highest court prepares to hear another appeal in the Bygmalion financing affair next month, the case has reignited debate on political accountability and ethics in leadership.
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Sarkozy entered prison carrying two books, The Life of Jesus by Jean-Christian Petitfils and The Count of Monte Cristo, symbolizing his faith and defiance amid one of France’s most divisive political moments.