Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has begun serving a 5-year prison sentence for conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya during his 2007 presidential election bid. He arrived at La Santé prison in Paris, surrounded by supporters chanting “Nicolas, Nicolas” and singing the French national anthem, La Marseillaise.
Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy for seeking millions of euros in illegal payments from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to fund his 2007 election campaign. Although he was acquitted of personally receiving the funds, Sarkozy’s conviction marks a significant development in France’s approach to white-collar crime.
Sarkozy will likely be held in La Santé’s isolation unit for security reasons, with a Single Cell, 9-12 square meters with private shower and landline phone, television access which would be available for a monthly fee of 14 euros, and one hour daily for exercise, alone, in a small yard.
Visits will only be allowed three times a week.
Sarkozy’s supporters, including his wife Carla Bruni and children, gathered outside his home to show solidarity. President Emmanuel Macron had met with Sarkozy ahead of his incarceration, sparking criticism from left-wing politicians who questioned the propriety of the meeting.
Sarkozy becomes the first former President of France to be incarcerated since the World War 2, the first being Marshal Philippe Petain who was imprisoned in 1945.
