The 70-year-old ex-leader left home with wife Carla Bruni, cheered by supporters singing La Marseillaise
France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his residence to present himself to La Sante Prison for incarceration on a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of criminal conspiracy over a plan for late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi to fund his 2007 electoral campaign, in Paris, on October 21, 2025. PHOTO:AFP
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy began a five-year prison sentence on Tuesday for conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya, arriving at La Santé prison in Paris in a stunning downfall for a man who led the country between 2007 and 2012.
The 70-year-old former conservative leader left his home for the car journey to the prison, walking hand in hand with his wife Carla Bruni and cheered by supporters chanting “Nicolas, Nicolas” and singing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem.
Sarkozy, who was convicted and sentenced last month, is the first former French leader to be jailed since Marshal Philippe Pétain, a Nazi collaborator, after World War Two.
Sarkozy says he is innocent
Shortly after heading for La Santé, Sarkozy published a lengthy post on X claiming he was the victim of “revenge and hatred.”
“It is not a former president of the Republic who is being imprisoned this morning — it is an innocent man,” he said.
Sarkozy’s conviction capped years of legal battles over allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign received millions of euros in cash from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was later overthrown and killed during the Arab Spring uprisings.
While Sarkozy was found guilty of conspiring with aides to orchestrate the funding scheme, he was acquitted of personally receiving or using the money. He has consistently denied wrongdoing and called the case politically motivated.
His lawyers said they had filed a request for early release pending appeal and expected a review within a month, hoping Sarkozy could be freed by Christmas.
Sarkozy to be held in isolation unit
Sarkozy will likely be held in La Santé’s isolation unit, where inmates occupy single cells and are separated during outdoor activities for security reasons.
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Cells measure between 9 and 12 square metres (100–130 sq ft) and, following renovations, include private showers. Sarkozy will have access to a television for a monthly fee of 14 euros ($16) and a landline telephone.
He told Le Figaro he would bring three books for his first week behind bars, including Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo — the story of a man unjustly imprisoned who plots revenge against those who betrayed him.
Political outcry
The decision to jail a former president has sparked outrage among Sarkozy’s political allies and France’s far-right.
“Nicolas Sarkozy is not a criminal,” said supporter Jacqueline Fraboulet, among the cheering crowd on Tuesday. “It feels like the justice system is taking power, and that’s not good for France.”
Sarkozy’s children and brothers attended the gathering. The former president, looking sombre, waved at supporters before getting into his car for the journey to prison.
France gets tougher on white-collar crime
The sentencing marks a shift in France’s stance on white-collar crime. In the 1990s and 2000s, many convicted politicians avoided prison altogether.
Despite his legal troubles, Sarkozy’s political influence remains strong as French society has shifted to the right.
President Emmanuel Macron, who has maintained cordial relations with Sarkozy and Bruni, said on Monday he had met the former president before his incarceration.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said he planned to visit Sarkozy in prison — a move that angered left-wing politicians, who accused Macron’s government of undermining judicial independence.
The son of a Hungarian immigrant, Sarkozy was elected in 2007 on a promise to revive France’s economy through pro-business reforms. His efforts, however, were derailed by the 2008–09 financial crisis.
Voters gave him little credit for raising the retirement age to 62 from 60 and easing France’s strict 35-hour work week, reforms that remain controversial today.
