Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy entered La Santé Prison in Paris on Tuesday, nearly a month after being sentenced to five years in prison for illegally seeking Libyan funding for his election campaign—a first in French history.
اضافة اعلان
No previous European head of state has ever been jailed, although Brazilian former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African former president Jacob Zuma served time after leaving office.
The 70-year-old Sarkozy arrived at the prison in southern Paris Tuesday morning, greeted by chants of “Welcome Sarkozy!” from fellow inmates. He had left his upscale Paris residence with his wife, Carla Bruni, where supporters had gathered shouting “Free Nicolas!”
Sarkozy, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, was convicted in late September. The court found that he allowed two close aides, Brice Hortefeux and Claude Guéant, while he was Interior Minister, to contact former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to obtain illegal campaign financing. Ultimately, the funds never reached his campaign.
Hortefeux and Guéant met in late 2005 with Abdallah Senoussi, the Libyan intelligence chief sentenced in absentia to life in France for his role in the 1989 UTA DC-10 bombing that killed 170 people, including 54 French nationals.
Sarkozy insisted on Twitter Tuesday: “It is not a former president who is imprisoned, but an innocent person.”
Immediate Jail Order and Conditions
Judges stunned the courtroom on September 25 by ordering Sarkozy to prison immediately upon conviction for “criminal conspiracy,” without waiting for the appeal trial. They cited the “exceptional seriousness of the facts” and gave him only a brief period to arrange his affairs.
Although the court acknowledged that there was no proof the Libyan funds actually reached Sarkozy’s campaign, it noted that the investigation revealed money transfers from Libya “intended to finance” the campaign.
Sarkozy’s lawyers said he filed for immediate release upon entering prison. The appeals court has two months to consider the request, though the hearing is expected to be scheduled sooner.
If held, Sarkozy will face solitary confinement with one daily yard break in a small outdoor area, access to one of three gym halls or the library, and guarded movement to visits or medical appointments to prevent contact with other inmates.
Support from Political Allies
Sarkozy, a key figure in the French right, has received support from his political allies. He visited the Élysée Palace last Friday, meeting President Emmanuel Macron, who described the visit as “normal on a human level.”
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, a close ally of Sarkozy, said he would visit him in prison and expressed concern over “security aspects” during his incarceration.
