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Nicolas Sarkozy He shared a last kiss with wife Carla Bruni as he left home to begin his five-year prison sentence on Tuesday, a stunning fall for the former French president.
The conservative politician was convicted last month for his role in a conspiracy to illegally Raise campaign funds from Libya,
Sarkozy is the first former French leader to be jailed since Nazi collaborator Marshal Philippe Pétain after World War II.
Before reaching jail, they were seen leaving the house hand in hand with Ms BruniA crowd of supporters welcomed him, chanting his name and singing “La Marseillaise”. Shortly after, he published a message on X, claiming he was the victim of “retaliation and hatred”.
“I want to tell [French people]With my unwavering power, it is not a former President of the Republic who is being imprisoned this morning – it is an innocent man,” he said.
His brother Guillaume Sarkozy told BFM TV, “I am very proud of him, proud that he is going to jail with his head held high, and I am absolutely convinced of his innocence.” He was among the relatives and supporters who cheered the former president as he went to jail.
Sébastien Cowell, who heads the high-profile La Sainte prison in Paris, where Sarkozy will be held, said the former president would be kept in isolation.
“He will have access to the exercise yard twice a day alone, he will have access to the activities room while alone and he will be alone inside the prison cell,” Cowell told RTL radio.
Access to TV, landline and private shower
Sarkozy’s punishment Legal battles that lasted for years Over allegations that millions in cash were taken from the Libyan leader for his 2007 campaign muammar gaddafiWho was later overthrown and killed during the Arab Spring uprisings.
While Sarkozy was found guilty of conspiring with close associates to carry out the scheme, he was acquitted of personally receiving or using the funds.
He has consistently denied wrongdoing and has described the case as politically motivated, saying the judge wanted to humiliate him. He has appealed, but the nature of his sentence means he will have to remain in prison until his appeals process is completed.
Sarkozy stated, “I am not afraid of prison. I will hold my head high, even at the prison gate.” la tribune sunday Newspaper before his imprisonment.
The former president has already been convicted in a separate corruption case in which he was found guilty of trying to obtain confidential information from a judge in exchange for career benefits and served his sentence wearing an electronic tag around his ankle.
Sarkozy’s isolation unit at La Sainte prison in Paris, which in the past housed leftist extremist Carlos the Jackal and Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, houses prisoners who are kept in single cells for security reasons and isolated during outside activities.
Conditions are similar to the rest of the prison: cells measure 9–12 square meters (100–130 sq ft) and, after renovation, now include private showers.
Sarkozy will receive access to a television and a landline telephone for a monthly fee of 14 euros ($16).
‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ on the reading list
Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darois told FranceInfo radio that Sarkozy was preparing to go to prison, taking with him jumpers and earplugs.
“They’ve put some bags together in which they’ve put some pullovers because it can be cold in the prison and some earplugs because it can be very noisy in there,” Mr Darois said.
Sarkozy also told le figaro He will take three books to his first week behind bars, including a book by Alexandre Dumas. vengeance – The story of a man unjustly imprisoned who plots revenge on those who betrayed him.
The decision to send the former president to jail has sparked outrage among Sarkozy’s political allies and the far right.
However, the decision reflects a change in France’s approach to white-collar crime, following reforms introduced under the previous socialist government. In the 1990s and 2000s, many convicted politicians avoided jail altogether.
To counter perceptions of impunity, French judges are increasingly issuing “provisional execution” orders – requiring executions to begin immediately, even if appeals are pending – legal experts and politicians told Reuters.
far right leader marine le pen He is banned from running for office under the same “provisional execution” provision pending an appeal early next year.
According to an October 1 Elabay poll for BFM TV, 58 percent of French respondents believed the verdict was fair, and 61 percent supported the decision to send Sarkozy to prison without waiting for an appeal.
President Emmanuel Macron, who has a warm relationship with Sarkozy and his wife, said on Monday that he had met with Sarkozy before his imprisonment. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, who is close to Sarkozy, told France Inter radio that he would go and meet the former president.