Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy made history on Tuesday by becoming the first former head of state from the European Union to be jailed — entering a Paris prison while fiercely maintaining his innocence.
The 70-year-old conservative leader, who governed France from 2007 to 2012, began serving a five-year prison sentence after being found guilty last month of criminal conspiracy over alleged illegal campaign financing tied to Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
Under tight police escort, Sarkozy left his Paris home on Tuesday morning, hand in hand with his wife — Italian-French singer Carla Bruni — as supporters chanted “Free Nicolas!” and waved portraits of the former president.
He was driven to La Santé Prison in southern Paris, where convicts reportedly shouted “Welcome, Sarkozy!” as the former head of state entered the facility.
Despite his high-profile status, Sarkozy will serve his sentence under solitary confinement for security reasons. Prison officials said he will be housed in a modest nine-square-metre cell equipped with a bed, desk, shower, small refrigerator, and a television — a stark contrast to the grandeur of the Élysée Palace he once occupied.
In a defiant message posted to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) as he was being transferred, Sarkozy insisted he had been wrongly convicted.
“It is not a former president of the republic being jailed this morning, but an innocent man. The truth will prevail,” he wrote.
His lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, said an appeal had already been filed, but confirmed that Sarkozy would spend “at least three weeks to a month” behind bars before any decision on temporary release.
Another of his lawyers, Jean-Michel Darrois, said Bruni visited him later that evening.
“The first day in prison is terrible, but he got through it,” Darrois said.
The case that finally sent Sarkozy to prison centers on allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign was illegally funded with millions of euros from the late Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi.
Prosecutors claimed Sarkozy’s aides negotiated with Kadhafi in 2005, promising to help rehabilitate the Libyan leader’s international image in exchange for secret financial support.
Although the court found Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy, it stopped short of confirming that he personally received or used Libyan funds, acquitting him of charges of embezzlement, passive corruption, and illicit campaign financing.
Still, the court’s ruling concluded that Sarkozy had knowingly participated in a plan to secure illicit funding — a serious offense under French law.
Sarkozy will spend his days under strict routine: confined to his cell except for one hour of solitary outdoor exercise daily. Prison rules allow him to make monitored phone calls to pre-approved numbers and receive visitors three times a week.
To cope with confinement, Sarkozy reportedly brought along two books — a biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo,” the classic tale of an innocent man wrongfully imprisoned who later seeks redemption and revenge.
Sarkozy is the first French president to be incarcerated since Philippe Pétain, the World War II leader convicted of treason for collaborating with Nazi Germany.
Since losing his re-election bid in 2012, Sarkozy’s political career has been clouded by legal troubles. He has already been convicted in two other cases — including one for attempting to bribe a judge — a sentence he served under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor.
Next month, France’s top court is set to deliver another ruling on accusations of illegal campaign financing in his failed 2012 re-election bid, further deepening his legal woes.
He has also been stripped of France’s highest national honor, the Legion of Honour, due to his earlier graft conviction.
Public reaction in France remains divided. A recent Elabe poll showed that 60% of French citizens view Sarkozy’s prison sentence as “fair,” while his loyal supporters — particularly within the French right — continue to see him as a victim of judicial overreach.
Despite his fall from grace, Sarkozy remains a powerful figure within conservative circles. Just days before his incarceration, he reportedly met with President Emmanuel Macron in private — a testament to his lingering influence in French politics.
Sarkozy’s imprisonment marks a defining moment in France’s judicial and political history — a vivid reminder that even the most powerful are not immune to the law.
As he begins his sentence, Sarkozy maintains his composure, vowing to fight until his name is cleared.
“I will sleep in prison — but with my head held high,” he had declared after his conviction last month.
Whether history will remember him as a victim of injustice or as a symbol of accountability remains to be seen.
