Nicolas Sarkozyformer president of France between 2007 and 2012, a new stage began this week that few imagined: He is serving a five-year sentence in the Parisian prison of La Santé. At 70 years old, the former president was transferred after being found guilty of illicit association and having received illegal funds from the Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi to finance his presidential campaign.
Sarkozy’s entry into the prison was closely followed by the press and his followers. Carla Bruni, his wife, accompanied him to the doorin a scene that quickly went viral. According to those around him, the former conservative leader claims to keep his “head held high” and denies the charges, describing everything as political persecution.
With his imprisonment, Sarkozy enters the history books not only of France, but also of Europe: it is the first former president of a member state of the European Union to be deprived of liberty for a judicial case of corruption.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the first former president of an EU State to go to prison
Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison – two of them suspended – after an extensive trial that investigated Alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 election campaign. The court concluded that there was an “illicit association” to obtain funds from the Gaddafi regime, although it was not proven that the money was used directly by him.
The former president also faces other legal cases opened in France, including one for influence peddling. From those around them they insist that it is a “political hunt.” Minutes before entering the prison, Sarkozy published a message on social networks ensuring his innocence and denouncing a “partisan” use of justice.
His case marks a turning point in French politics. For years, leaders accused of financial crimes managed to avoid prison, but today justice tries give signs of equality before the laweven for the most powerful figures.
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What is La Santé like and what are the conditions for Sarkozy
La Santé is one of the oldest prisons in Paris, inaugurated in 1867 and completely renovated in 2019 after four years of works. Famous figures such as Carlos “El Chacal” and the former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega passed through its corridors. In Sarkozy’s case, the French Ministry of Justice decided to house him in a special sector known as “VIP quarters,” reserved for inmates considered vulnerable or high-profile.
Over there, The cells are individual and have a private shower, television and landline telephonealthough the use of cell phones is not allowed. They measure between 9 and 12 square meters, with a small sealed window. Sarkozy will be able to read, cook and receive visitors three times a week. According to his lawyer, he will have three books with him, including The Count of Monte Cristosymbol of the fight against injustice.
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For security reasons, the former president is isolated from the rest of the inmates. He can go out to the patio twice a day, but always alone. The prison, despite its improvements, continues to face a serious problem of overpopulation: more than 1,200 prisoners in a building designed for 650.
In recent years, La Santé made headlines for its use of drones to bring in drugs or food, and for videos of inmates showing deteriorating conditions. Even so, prison officials maintain that the place “is the most appropriate” for someone with Sarkozy’s profile, both because of his age and the risks that being in a regular prison would entail.
Source: Ambito
