Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison sentence
. . . first former French president to be imprisoned since Marshal Philippe Pétain, who was jailed for collaborating with the Nazis after World War II
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has begun serving a five-year prison sentence for conspiring to secure funds from Libya to finance his 2007 election campaign.
Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, is the first former French president to be imprisoned since Marshal Philippe Pétain, who was jailed for collaborating with the Nazis after World War II.
“I’m not afraid of prison,” Sarkozy told La Tribune Dimanche before his imprisonment. “I will keep my head high, even at the gates of prison.”
The conviction concludes years of legal proceedings regarding allegations that Sarkozy’s campaign received millions of euros in cash from the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
While he was found guilty of conspiring with aides to orchestrate the scheme, the court acquitted him of personally receiving or using the funds for private purposes.
Sarkozy has consistently denied wrongdoing, claiming the case is politically motivated, and appealed the verdict. However, French law requires him to serve the sentence during the appeal process.
Sarkozy was previously convicted in a separate corruption case involving attempts to obtain confidential judicial information in exchange for favors, for which he is serving a sentence via electronic ankle monitor.
At La Santé prison in Paris, he is expected to be held under strict isolation, with solitary confinement during outdoor activities for security reasons.
