Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy starts serving a five-year prison sentence over a campaign finance conspiracy, marking an unprecedented moment in modern French political history. On Tuesday, the 70-year-old former leader arrived at Paris’s La Santé prison to begin serving his sentence for his role in an illegal scheme tied to the financing of his successful 2007 presidential campaign.
Sarkozy is now the first former president of contemporary France to be incarcerated, a development that has stunned the nation and reignited debate over justice, power, and political accountability.
A Defiant Walk Toward Prison
Early Tuesday morning, Sarkozy left his Paris residence hand in hand with his wife, singer and former first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Before entering the car that would take him to La Santé, he paused outside his home to greet his children, grandchildren, and a crowd of supporters who had gathered in the upscale neighborhood.
Waving briefly, Sarkozy acknowledged chants of “Nicolas, Nicolas” and the French national anthem sung by hundreds of backers. French flags hung nearby bore messages of encouragement, including “Courage Nicolas, return soon” and “True France with Nicolas.”
Moments earlier, Sarkozy released a message on social media insisting that “an innocent man” was being sent to prison. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintains that the case against him is politically motivated.
The Case That Changed Everything
Last month, Sarkozy was convicted of criminal conspiracy for attempting to illegally fund his 2007 presidential campaign using money allegedly provided by Libya under the late leader Moammar Gadhafi. Prosecutors argued that the scheme represented a serious breach of democratic principles and undermined public trust.
Despite Sarkozy’s appeal, a Paris judge ordered that he begin serving his sentence immediately, citing the severity of the offense and the disruption it caused to public order. The decision to jail him before his appeal is reviewed is highly unusual and has become one of the most controversial aspects of the case.
Under French law, Sarkozy can only formally request release once he is incarcerated. Appeals court judges then have up to two months to rule on that request. His legal team has said they will move swiftly.
Life Behind Bars at La Santé
For security reasons, Sarkozy is being held in solitary confinement, isolated from the general prison population. His lawyers say he prepared himself mentally for the experience.
“He packed a small bag with warm sweaters because it’s cold inside, and earplugs because prisons are noisy,” said his attorney Jean-Michel Darrois in a radio interview. “Isolation is painful, but he knew what to expect.”
Sarkozy has said publicly that he is not afraid of prison and intends to face the ordeal with dignity. According to French media, he was allowed to bring a limited number of personal items, including ten family photographs and three books. Among them is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas—a story of wrongful imprisonment and eventual redemption.
Another lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, said Sarkozy’s imprisonment has only intensified his resolve. “This strengthens his determination, his anger even, to prove that he is innocent,” Ingrain said, adding that the former president plans to write a book about his prison experience.
Political Shockwaves and Public Reaction
President Emmanuel Macron, himself under political pressure at home, met Sarkozy at the Élysée Palace last week. Macron later said that while he firmly supports judicial independence, it was “humanly normal” to receive a former head of state facing such circumstances.
Public reaction has been deeply divided. Supporters describe the sentence as unjust and humiliating for someone who once held the nation’s highest office. “He’s not like any other defendant,” said Michelle Perié, a 67-year-old Paris resident who attended the gathering outside Sarkozy’s home. “He served France with honor. We don’t understand this decision.”
Others argue that the case demonstrates that no one, not even a former president, is above the law.
A Prison Steeped in History
Opened in 1867 and renovated in recent years, La Santé prison has housed some of the most infamous inmates in French history. Among them were Captain Alfred Dreyfus, wrongly convicted of treason in a notorious antisemitic scandal, and the international militant known as Carlos the Jackal.
Former inmate Pierre Botton, who served time at La Santé between 2020 and 2022, summed up the reality awaiting Sarkozy: “It’s not Nicolas Sarkozy, president of the Republic, arriving. It’s a man. And he will live exactly what everyone else lives.”
As Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy starts serving a five-year prison sentence over a campaign finance conspiracy, France watches closely—grappling with the symbolic weight of a once-powerful leader now facing life behind bars, and with what this moment means for the country’s political future.
