Ex-French President Sarkozy Begins Five-Year Jail Term Over Libya Campaign Funds

Nicolas Sarkozy has become the first French ex-president to be imprisoned, beginning a five-year sentence over a scheme to secretly fund his 2007 election campaign with money from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, arrived at La Santé prison in Paris on Monday morning under tight security.

He will occupy a 9 sq m cell in the prison’s isolation wing, where he will have a toilet, shower, desk, small TV, and one hour of daily exercise.

The former leader, 70, continues to protest his innocence, posting on X that “it is not a former president they are locking up this morning – it is an innocent man.” He added that he felt “deep sorrow for a France humiliated by a will for revenge.”

Sarkozy was convicted of criminal association with two close aides, Brice Hortefeux and Claude Guéant, who secretly arranged campaign funds from Libya.

While he was cleared of personally receiving the money, the court cited the “exceptional seriousness of the facts” in ordering his jail term.

Ahead of his imprisonment, Sarkozy met with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, with Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin also promising to visit him in prison to ensure his safety.

Despite his sentence, Sarkozy said he would face prison with his head held high, taking with him a life of Jesus and The Count of Monte Cristo, a story of a man wrongly imprisoned who seeks justice.

Titilope Adako

Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.

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