French Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy Begins Five-Year Jail Over Libyan Campaign Funds

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has begun serving a five-year prison sentence in Paris after being convicted of criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya.

Sarkozy, 70, arrived at La Santé prison on Tuesday afternoon, becoming the first ex-leader of modern France to be imprisoned.

Before leaving his residence, he told reporters, “an innocent man is being locked up.”

The former president was seen walking hand-in-hand with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, as they left their home to join family members outside. Hundreds of supporters gathered in the upscale neighbourhood, waving French flags and chanting “Nicolas, Nicolas.”

Two banners were hung near his home, reading: “Courage Nicolas, return soon” and “true France with Nicolas.” His children — Jean, Pierre, Louis and Giulia — as well as his grandchildren, were present to bid him farewell, Associated Press reports.

Paris resident Michelle Perié, 67, who joined the crowd, said she came out “because there is anger, injustice.”

She added, “He’s not like any other defendants, he’s someone who holds state secrets, he’s someone who has always done his job with his head held high. We don’t understand.”

President Emmanuel Macron commented on the case on Monday, saying, “I have always been very clear in my public statements about the independence of the judiciary in my role, but it was normal on a human level to receive one of my predecessors in this context.”

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, told BFM TV that his client’s incarceration “strengthens his determination, it strengthens his rage to prove that he is innocent.”

He added that Sarkozy plans to write a book about his prison experience.

Another lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, said on France Info that the former president was “mentally prepared” for solitary confinement.

“First, he packed a bag with a few sweaters because it’s cold in prison, and earplugs because it’s very noisy,” Darrois explained. “Isolation like what he’s going to go through is painful, but he got himself prepared.”

In an interview with La Tribune Dimanche, Sarkozy said, “I’m not afraid of prison. I’ll hold my head high, including in front of the doors of La Santé. I’ll fight till the end.”

He told Le Figaro that he would bring three books — including Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo — and ten family photos, the maximum allowed. His lawyers confirmed that a request for release would be filed “very quickly.”