Paris, France – In a historic first for France and the European Union, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was imprisoned in La Santé prison in Paris.
This is the start of a five-year prison sentence, after he was convicted of receiving illegal funding from Libya for his 2007 election campaign.
Sarkozy, 70, arrived at the prison in the 14th arrondissement of Paris under heavy security.
Meanwhile, a number of prisoners chanted from inside the cells: “Welcome, Sarkozy!”
His wife, Carla Bruni, accompanied the former president as he entered prison,
while his supporters gathered outside the prison gate, chanting, “Free Nicola!”
First European president in prison
With this decision, Sarkozy became the first European Union head of state to be imprisoned,
having served as president from 2007 to 2012.
The case dates back to his accusation of receiving illegal Libyan funding from the Muammar Gaddafi regime.
This was mediated by two of his close aides at the time,
Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, when he was Minister of the Interior.
According to French reports, Sarkozy is expected to be held in
a solitary confinement cell no larger than nine square metres.
This is within the wing designated for political prisoners in the Parisian prison.
An innocent man was imprisoned
Sarkozy wrote on the X platform: “It’s not a president of
the republic who’s been imprisoned, it’s an innocent man.”
Lawyers hope for his release Sarkozy’s lawyers announced
that they had filed a request for his immediate release pending the appeals court’s decision.
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said he would visit the former president in prison soon.
These developments come as criticism grows in French political circles,
This is about foreign funding for election campaigns and the influence of former Libyan influence in Europe.
This is an issue we previously addressed in our reports on the suspicious financial relations
between the Gaddafi regime and a number of European figures.
