Sarkozy Begins Five-Year Sentence for Campaign Financing Scandal

Tue Oct 21 2025 20:10:08 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is heading to jail for five years, marking a historic moment as he becomes the first ex-president to be incarcerated for corruption.

Nicolas Sarkozy has begun serving a five-year prison sentence for conspiracy linked to his 2007 presidential campaign, which allegedly received funds from Libya. This unprecedented event in French political history follows decades of accusations, with Sarkozy consistently denying wrongdoing. His incarceration raises significant questions about politics and accountability in France.

Nicolas Sarkozy will become the first French ex-president to go to jail, starting a five-year sentence for conspiring to fund his election campaign with money from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Since World War Two, when wartime leader Philippe Pétain was jailed for treason in 1945, no French leader has faced imprisonment.

Having served as president from 2007-2012, Sarkozy has appealed against the jail term, now at La Santé prison, occupying a cell of approximately 9 sq m (95 sq ft) in the facility's isolation wing.

Outside the prison, over 100 supporters gathered, prompted by his son Louis, who called on them for a show of support. Meanwhile, another son, Pierre, requested only messages of love for his father.

Sarkozy arrived at 10:00 (08:00 GMT) at Montparnasse district’s notorious 19th-century prison, protesting his innocence in the contentious Libyan funding case.

Contrary to his request for no special treatment, safety concerns have placed him in isolation due to the prison population largely comprising notorious criminals.

Other former French leaders have faced incarceration, with only Philippe Pétain and King Louis XVI having been jailed before him.

In his prison cell, Sarkozy will have basic amenities, including a toilet, shower, desk, small television, and one hour daily for solitary exercise.

Last week, he was received at the Élysée Palace by President Emmanuel Macron, who stated it was normal to meet a predecessor under these circumstances. In support of Sarkozy, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin plans to conduct a prison visit as part of protocol to ensure his safety.

Sarkozy expressed confidence ahead of his sentencing, saying, I'm not afraid of prison. I'll keep my head held high, including at the prison gates. He consistently denies involvement in the alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 campaign and was convicted of criminal association with aides discussing the funding.

Determined to declare his innocence during the appeal, Sarkozy mentioned he would bring two books into prison: a life of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas's 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' about a man wrongfully imprisoned who seeks revenge on his accusers.