Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been jailed in Paris after a court sentenced him to five years for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain election campaign funds from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy, who served as France’s rightwing president between 2007 and 2012, is the first former head of an EU country to serve time in prison and the first French postwar leader to go behind bars.
Sarkozy, who has appealed against his conviction, organised a highly stage-managed departure from his home in the west of Paris. He walked with his wife, Carla Bruni, to greet dozens of supporters in the street outside. His children, including Giulia, his 14-year-old daughter with Bruni, also came out to meet well-wishers. Some supporters shouted “Free Nicolas!” and carried framed photos. Sarkozy’s social media account published a message insisting he was innocent and calling his imprisonment a “judicial scandal”.
He was driven to La Santé prison in the south of Paris, where his car entered via a gate to avoid photographers. As the doors closed, reporters heard prisoners whistle and shout “Sarkozy’s here.” Sarkozy was found guilty last month of criminal conspiracy over the Libyan funding scheme. The lead judge described the case as of “exceptional gravity”, likely to undermine citizens’ trust. Sarkozy was acquitted of three separate charges of corruption, misuse of Libyan public funds and illegal campaign funding.
Upon entering prison, Sarkozy’s lawyers filed a motion for his release; the appeals court has two months to examine it. A new trial is expected in about six months, but the nature of his sentence means he must remain in jail during the appeal process. Sarkozy packed family photos and three books, including a biography of Jesus and The Count of Monte Cristo, and said he would use his time to write. He is expected to be held in solitary confinement in a 9-square-metre cell with his own shower, toilet, small television and a security-controlled phone line for contact with lawyers and family. He will have the right to two family visits per week.
A poll by Elabe found that six out of ten French people believe the prison sentence to be fair. However, a trade union of prison wardens protested outside the prison against overcrowding in French jails, where many inmates have mattresses on the floor. Sarkozy is the first French leader to be incarcerated since Philippe Pétain, head of the Nazi collaborationist Vichy regime, who was jailed after the second world war.
