Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy starts five-year prison sentence for campaign finance conspiracy
By Catherine Nicholls and Joseph Ataman, CNN
(CNN) — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy entered a prison in Paris on Tuesday on the first day of a five-year sentence, marking the first time a former leader of modern France has spent time behind bars.
Sarkozy was driven to the prison complex on Tuesday morning, waving to his supporters as he left his house.
The car driving him was surrounded by dozens of police motorbikes and vehicles, making its way to La Santé Prison in southern Paris.
Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy last month, for his role in a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favors.
The former president, who left office in 2012, has appealed his conviction but in the meantime is expected to occupy a cell either in solitary confinement or in the so-called “VIP wing” of La Santé prison complex.
That wing is usually reserved for prisoners who are considered unsuitable to be kept among the prison’s general population, usually out of fears for their safety.
They could be politicians, former police officers, members of far-right organizations or those tied to Islamist terror groups, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.
Notable previous inmates
Cells in the wing are fitted with a metal bed and mattress, a small desk, a fridge, a cooking hob, a television, a shower, toilet and sink, and a fixed telephone line allowing prisoners to call certain authorized numbers.
Previous inmates include Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama who was held there following his extradition from the United States after the American invasion that deposed him.
Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, also known as “Carlos the Jackal,” spent time in the prison, as did Jacques Mesrine, a notorious 1970s murderer and bank robber, whose criminal career was portrayed in a 2008 film starring Vincent Cassel.
Mesrine famously escaped from La Santé while dressed as a prison guard alongside fellow criminal François Besse, according to French public broadcaster France Info.
Marco Mouly, a former prisoner in the prison’s VIP wing told BFMTV in a 2022 documentary that the prison is “alright,” comparing it to a popular European budget hotel chain.
Another former inmate, Didier Schuller, told BFMTV that “the problem is the noise… At night, you’re woken up by people shouting.”
In a statement posted to X shortly after the car carrying him set off for prison, Sarkozy stressed that he is an “innocent man.”
“As I prepare to step inside the walls of La Santé prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions,” he said.
“I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it’s not a former president of the Republic being locked up this morning, it’s an innocent man,” he continued.
The former leader said he will “continue to denounce this judicial scandal” but added that he is “not to be pitied because my wife and children are by my side, and my friends are countless.”
On Tuesday morning, however, Sarkozy said he felt “a deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level.”
Sarkozy’s legal team has requested that he is granted an early release from jail, Christophe Ingrain, one of the lawyers, told BFMTV Tuesday morning. The court has two months to decide whether or not to grant this request.
This story has been updated with developments, as well as to clarify that Sarkozy has appealed his conviction.
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CNN’s Pierre Bairin contributed to this report.
