PARIS – Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy entered a Paris prison on Tuesday after being convicted for seeking illicit campaign funds from Libya, a landmark moment that makes him the first former head of state in the European Union to be jailed.
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| Sarkozy walked out of his home with his wife, the singer Carla Bruni (JULIEN DE ROSA) |
The 70-year-old leader, who served as France's president from 2007 to 2012, was found guilty last month of criminal conspiracy in a scheme to acquire funding from the regime of late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi for his victorious 2007 election campaign.
Despite appealing the verdict, Sarkozy left his home on Tuesday morning and was processed at the capital's notorious La Sante prison.
As he was being transferred, Sarkozy issued a defiant statement on social media, proclaiming his innocence.
"It is not a former president of the republic being jailed this morning, but an innocent man," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "The truth will prevail."
Arrival at La Sante
Dozens of supporters and family members had gathered outside the former president's home, some holding framed portraits and shouting "Nicolas, Nicolas! Free Nicolas." He left the residence holding hands with his wife, the singer and former model Carla Bruni.
Upon his arrival at La Sante, Sarkozy was met with a different reception. AFP reporters at the scene heard convicts shouting from their cells, "Welcome Sarkozy!" and "Sarkozy's here!"
His legal team immediately filed a request for his release pending the outcome of his appeal. However, Christophe Ingrain, one of his lawyers, stated that Sarkozy would likely spend at least "three weeks to a month" behind bars before the request is processed.
His incarceration is a historic downfall, marking the first time a French leader has been jailed since Philippe Petain, the head of the collaborationist Vichy regime, who was imprisoned after World War II.
Prison Conditions and Legal Battles
Sarkozy was handed a five-year prison term for his conviction on September 25. He is expected to be held in a nine-square-meter (95-square-foot) cell within the prison's solitary confinement wing, a measure intended to prevent contact with other prisoners.
Three sources confirmed to AFP that two dedicated security officers will accompany Sarkozy in prison and will be stationed in an adjacent cell.
In solitary confinement, prisoners are typically allowed out of their cells for one walk per day, alone, in a small yard. Sarkozy will be permitted visits three times a week.
On Tuesday evening, he was visited by his wife, Carla Bruni, and his lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois. "The first day in prison is terrible, but he got through it," Darrois said.
Sarkozy, who had previously been stripped of France's highest distinction, the Legion of Honour, over a separate conviction, told Le Figaro newspaper he was prepared. He said he would be taking a biography of Jesus and a copy of "The Count of Monte Cristo" with him—Alexandre Dumas's famed novel about an innocent man wrongfully imprisoned who escapes to seek revenge.
The 'Libyan Case' and Other Woes
Sarkozy has faced a flurry of legal troubles since losing his re-election bid in 2012.
He has already been convicted in two other cases. In one, a graft conviction for seeking to secure favours from a judge, he served his sentence under house arrest while wearing an electronic ankle tag, which was removed in May. In another case, concerning illegal campaign financing for his failed 2012 re-election, France's top court is scheduled to rule next month.
The current "Libyan case" stems from a 2005 deal. Prosecutors argued that Sarkozy's aides, acting in his name, struck a deal with Kadhafi to illegally fund his 2007 presidential bid. Investigators believe that in return, the Libyan dictator was promised help in restoring his international image, which had been tarnished by Tripoli's links to the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and another passenger jet bombing over Niger in 1989.
The court convicted Sarkozy of criminal conspiracy over the plan to secure the funds. However, in a legal nuance, the court did not conclude that Sarkozy actually received or used the funds and acquitted him on the related charges of embezzling Libyan public funds, passive corruption, and illicit campaign financing.