Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is 70 years old, began a five-year prison sentence at La Santé prison in Paris.
French authorities convicted Nicolas Sarkozy of conspiring to take €50 million in illegal campaign funds from Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi to finance his 2007 presidential campaign. He served as president from 2007 to 2012 and became the first French leader jailed since Philippe Pétain, who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.
Sarkozy left his home holding hands with his wife, Carla Bruni, as supporters sang the French national anthem, La Marseillaise. He wrote on X that the government had imprisoned not a former president but an innocent man, describing the verdict as political retribution
— Nicolas Sarkozy (@NicolasSarkozy) October 21, 2025
Convicted last month, Sarkozy denies wrongdoing, calling the case motivated. His lawyers seek early release by Christmas pending appeal. He’ll serve in isolation with a 9–12 sqm cell. It includes TV (€14/month), phone, and books like The Count of Monte Cristo.
Read: Nicolas Sarkozy Sentenced to 5 Years in Jail for Criminal Conspiracy
Allies decried judicial overreach. Supporter Jacqueline Fraboulet said, “Justice is taking power.” Macron met Sarkozy pre-incarceration; Justice Minister Darmanin plans a visit, drawing left-wing criticism.
The sentencing signals France’s crackdown on white-collar crime, contrasting 1990s leniency. Sarkozy’s pro-business reforms (retirement age to 62, 35-hour week easing) remain controversial. Sarkozy’s jailing tests French democracy and influences right-wing politics.
