In a stunning moment that has rocked French politics, former President Nicolas Sarkozy has become the first ex-leader of France since World War II to go to jail. The 70-year-old politician, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, began serving a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of conspiring to illegally fund his 2007 election campaign with money allegedly provided by the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Not since the notorious Nazi collaborationist leader Philippe Pétain was jailed for treason in 1945 has a former French head of state been imprisoned. The historic event has reignited national debate over justice, politics, and power in the French Republic.
Nicolas Sarkozy arrived at La Santé Prison in Paris’s Montparnasse district shortly before 10 a.m. local time, surrounded by heavy security. The former president, looking solemn but composed, waved briefly to journalists before entering the high-walled 19th-century prison, one of the most infamous correctional facilities in France. His new quarters — a 9-square-metre (95-square-foot) cell in the isolation wing — will include a bed, toilet, shower, desk, and small television. For safety reasons, he will be kept separate from other inmates, many of whom are convicted terrorists or drug traffickers.
Despite his conviction, Nicolas Sarkozy maintains his complete innocence. Posting on X (formerly Twitter) moments before arriving at the prison, he declared:
“I have no doubt. Truth will prevail. But how crushing the price will have been. It is not a former president they are locking up this morning — it is an innocent man.”
He added that while he felt sorrow for a “France humiliated by a will for revenge,” he drew comfort from his wife Carla Bruni and their children, who remain steadfastly by his side.
Outside Nicolas Sarkozy’s villa in the wealthy 16th arrondissement of Paris, more than 100 supporters gathered in solidarity. His son Louis Sarkozy, 28, had called for a public show of support, while another son, Pierre, urged restraint, asking sympathizers to send “only messages of love, nothing else, please.”
The former president’s legal troubles stem from one of France’s most sensational political scandals in recent memory. Prosecutors accused Sarkozy and his associates of accepting millions of euros in secret cash payments from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime to finance his successful 2007 presidential campaign. The money was allegedly funneled through intermediaries and delivered via covert meetings with senior Libyan officials.
Although Sarkozy was acquitted of personally receiving the funds, he was convicted of criminal association, found guilty of conspiring with close aides Brice Hortefeux and Claude Guéant to negotiate illicit campaign support. Evidence presented during the trial included testimony from former Libyan officials and a paper trail of suspicious financial transfers. One key intermediary, the Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, who had claimed to have transported briefcases of cash from Tripoli to Paris, died in Lebanon shortly before Sarkozy’s conviction — a twist that only deepened the intrigue surrounding the case.
Nicolas Sarkozy Becomes First French Ex-President to Serve Prison Sentence Over Libya Campaign Funding Scandal
Sarkozy’s legal team has filed an appeal, which suspends the finality of his conviction. However, the court ruled that he must begin serving his sentence immediately due to the “exceptional seriousness of the facts.” As such, his imprisonment is both symbolic and controversial — a reminder that in France, no one, not even a former president, stands above the law.
Nicolas Sarkozy has stated that he requested no special privileges in prison, expressing a desire to be treated “like any other citizen.” He will spend most of his time in isolation, permitted one hour of outdoor exercise per day. Among the few possessions he carried with him were two books — The Life of Jesus and The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas’s classic tale of a man wrongly imprisoned who ultimately triumphs over his accusers. The literary choice has not gone unnoticed, drawing parallels between fiction and Sarkozy’s own view of his ordeal.
In an interview with La Tribune before his incarceration, Sarkozy insisted, “I’m not afraid of prison. I’ll keep my head held high, including at the prison gates.” His defiance has earned admiration from loyalists within his political circle and sympathy from some members of the public who see the case as politically motivated.
President Emmanuel Macron, who met Nicolas Sarkozy privately at the Élysée Palace days before his imprisonment, described the visit as “normal, on a human level.” Meanwhile, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, a former ally of Sarkozy, announced plans to visit the ex-president in prison, saying he could not remain “insensitive to a man’s distress.”
The jailing of Nicolas Sarkozy marks an unprecedented chapter in modern French history. Once known as the “bling-bling president” for his energetic style and close ties to the elite, Sarkozy’s legacy now straddles triumph and scandal — a man who rose from humble roots to the nation’s highest office, only to fall into disgrace amid allegations of corruption and conspiracy.
As his legal battles continue, Nicolas Sarkozy’s supporters hope his appeal will vindicate him. For now, the former president faces a humbling reality behind bars — a stark reminder of how swiftly power can fade, and how even the mightiest political careers can end within the confines of a prison cell.
Source- Nehandaradio
