Nicolas Sarkozy begins prison sentence
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has begun serving a five-year prison sentence at Paris’s renowned La Santé Prison, following his conviction for criminal conspiracy linked to alleged Libyan funding of his 2007 presidential campaign.
Sarkozy, aged 70, who led France from 2007 to 2012, submitted himself to the prison on Tuesday, hand-in-hand with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, fulfilling a court order that he begin serving immediately despite an ongoing appeal.
In the ruling delivered in September 2025, the court found that Sarkozy and his close aides had engaged in a “Faustian pact” whereby funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were covertly destined for his campaign, though direct proof of the funds reaching his campaign was not necessary for culpability under French law.
Sarkozy vehemently denies wrongdoing and described his incarceration as a “judicial scandal,” maintaining his innocence in statements made upon his arrival at the prison.
The court notably stipulated that his sentence must be served before an appeal can be heard, citing the “exceptional gravity” of the offence and its impact on public trust. He has been placed in either solitary confinement or a special unit for vulnerable inmates, reflecting both his high-profile status and the security considerations.
This event marks a historic moment for French politics: Sarkozy is the first former head of state in modern French history to enter prison. The arrest and incarceration have sparked widespread debate about presidential accountability, the independence of the judiciary, and the balance between political stature and the rule of law.
