Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing to enter the “La Santé” prison in Paris next Tuesday, in a precedent of its kind within the European Union.
After he was sentenced to five years in prison on his conviction of obtaining illegal financing from Libya during his 2007 election campaign.
Sarkozy confirmed after the ruling was issued on September 25 that he “will comply with the judiciary’s decision with my head held high.”
Adding: “If they want me to sleep in prison, I will do so because I am innocent.” Immediately after his entry into prison, his lawyers are scheduled to submit a temporary release request to the Court of Appeal.
Solo residence for security reasons
The former president is expected to be held in a nine-square-meter solitary cell inside a special wing to ensure his safety and prevent his photographs from being taken by prisoners, according to sources from the prison administration.
The Libyan issue returns to the forefront
The French judiciary convicted Sarkozy of “criminal conspiracy” after investigations revealed suspicious financial movements from Libya “with the aim of financing his campaign,” despite there being no direct proof that the money reached his accounts.
The court stated that two of Sarkozy’s close associates, Claude Guéant and Brice Ortoufou, held secret meetings in 2005 with prominent Libyan officials, including Abdullah Al-Senussi, the former director of Libyan intelligence.
Political reactions and shock
The court’s decision caused shock in French political circles.
The ruling was described as “historic” and affects one of the most prominent symbols of the French right.
As for his son, Louis Sarkozy, he called on the “X” platform to gather in front of his father’s house to support him on the day he entered prison.
Harsh measures await the former president
Sarkozy will spend his days in complete isolation. He is only allowed to take a short walk daily, exercise, or visit the library inside the prison.
Under strict surveillance, no contact with other prisoners is prohibited.
Despite the defense’s assertion that the arrest was a “cruel and unjustified measure,”
The judges justified the decision by the “seriousness of the exceptional facts” affecting a former president who was involved in a case that affects the integrity of French political life.
With this, Nicolas Sarkozy becomes the first president in the history of France to actually go to prison.
In a case that brings to the forefront the controversy over foreign funding for electoral campaigns and the transparency of the political system in the Fifth Republic.
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