Ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to report to La Santé Prison in southern Paris on Tuesday to start serving his five-year jail term for criminal conspiracy tied to alleged campaign financing from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, was found guilty last month of plotting to receive illegal funds from the late Libyan leader to bankroll his 2007 presidential bid. The conviction makes him the first postwar French president and the first ex-leader of an EU nation to actually serve time behind bars.
“I’m not afraid of prison. I’ll walk in with my head high,” Sarkozy told La Tribune de Dimanche. The 70-year-old said he had packed a few personal belongings, including family photos and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, as he prepared for his sentence.
According to prison authorities, Sarkozy will be placed in solitary confinement for safety reasons. His 9-square-meter cell will have a small television but no phone access. He will be permitted one hour of outdoor exercise daily, under strict supervision by three guards, and may receive up to two family visits each week.
During the proceedings, prosecutors accused Sarkozy of forming a “Faustian pact of corruption” with Gaddafi to secure illicit campaign contributions. Presiding Judge Nathalie Gavarino described the crime as “deeply serious” and harmful to public confidence in democracy.
Though Sarkozy was cleared of other allegations of corruption, misuse of Libyan funds, and illegal campaign financing, the court ruled that there was sufficient proof to convict him of criminal conspiracy.
His lawyers have already lodged an appeal, which is expected to be heard within six months. However, the appeal does not delay the sentence, meaning Sarkozy must begin serving his time as the case continues. His legal team is also requesting that he serve his sentence under house arrest with an electronic monitor a decision expected within two months.
Louis Sarkozy, the former president’s son, has called on supporters to gather outside the family’s Paris home in solidarity as his father heads to prison.
This is not the first time Sarkozy has faced legal troubles. He was previously convicted of influence peddling and corruption in a separate case, for which he served part of a one-year sentence under house arrest. Following his convictions, he was also stripped of France’s highest national honor, the Legion of Honour.
