Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made history — for all the wrong reasons — by becoming the first ex-head of state in modern France to begin serving a jail sentence. The 70-year-old reported to La Santé prison in Paris to begin a five-year term after being convicted for illegally financing his 2007 presidential campaign with funds allegedly provided by the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

No former French president has been jailed since 1945, when Philippe Pétain, head of the collaborationist Vichy regime during World War II, was imprisoned for treason.

Sarkozy, who governed France from 2007 to 2012, has continued to deny any wrongdoing. Nonetheless, he has now entered La Santé, a 19th-century prison notorious for overcrowding and harsh conditions. He is being held in the facility’s isolation unit for security reasons.

Before heading to prison, Sarkozy was seen leaving his Paris residence in the upscale 16th arrondissement, hand-in-hand with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Supporters gathered to cheer him on, answering calls from his sons Louis and Pierre, who had urged the public to show support and share messages of love.

Sarkozy entered the prison around 09:40 local time, amid heavy police presence and closed-off streets in the Montparnasse district. On social media platform X, formerly Twitter, he maintained his innocence, writing:

“I have no doubt the truth will triumph, but the price I’m paying is heavy.”
He added that France should feel sorrow not for him, but for being “humiliated by a desire for revenge.”

Despite the high-profile nature of his case, Sarkozy has declined any preferential treatment and will serve time in the prison’s secure isolation wing, commonly used for inmates convicted of terrorism or drug trafficking. His cell — located on the top floor — measures between 9 and 11 square meters and includes a toilet, shower, small stove, desk, and television (for which he must pay a monthly fee), along with a mini-fridge.

He will be allowed an hour of solitary exercise daily, family visits, and limited phone and mail communication. Former deputy prison director Flavie Rault explained to BFMTV that isolation is psychologically taxing, as detainees are cut off from all other inmates.

Shortly after Sarkozy entered prison, his legal team submitted a request for provisional release. His lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, argued that incarceration was unjustified and estimated Sarkozy would remain in custody for at least three to four weeks pending the appeal.

President Emmanuel Macron reportedly hosted Sarkozy at the Élysée Palace days before his imprisonment, later stating it was appropriate to meet with his predecessor on a personal level. Macron also refrained from criticizing the judiciary, though he acknowledged that the jailing of a former president would undoubtedly spark public debate.

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said he would visit Sarkozy at La Santé, citing his responsibility for the wellbeing of all prisoners and a personal sense of empathy.

Sarkozy has faced multiple legal battles since leaving office. In a separate case last December, he was convicted of attempting to bribe a magistrate and wore an electronic ankle tag as part of that sentence.

Next month, France’s highest administrative court will issue a ruling on his appeal in another campaign finance case — the so-called Bygmalion affair — in which he received a six-month jail term.

Despite the setbacks, Sarkozy has remained defiant. Ahead of his incarceration, he told La Tribune:

“I’m not afraid of prison. I’ll walk in with my head held high.”

The Libyan campaign finance case centers on claims that Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential bid received illicit millions from Gaddafi’s regime. While he was cleared of personally taking the money, the court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy, alongside two close associates — Brice Hortefeux and Claude Guéant — who were linked to meetings with Libyan intelligence officials arranged by Franco-Lebanese intermediary Ziad Takieddine, who has since died.

Although he has filed an appeal and remains legally innocent until it is resolved, judges cited the “exceptional gravity” of the allegations as justification for his immediate incarceration.

Sarkozy reportedly brought two books with him into prison: a biography of Jesus by Jean-Christian Petitfils and The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas’s classic tale of wrongful imprisonment and ultimate redemption.