Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has begun serving a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of conspiring to finance his 2007 election campaign with money from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. His imprisonment marks the first time a French ex-president has gone to jail since World War II.
Sarkozy, 70, was escorted by his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, as he reported to La Santé prison in Paris. He will stay in an isolated cell for safety reasons, where he has access to basic amenities and limited exercise time.
Despite his conviction, Sarkozy maintains his innocence and has filed an appeal, insisting he did nothing wrong. The court ruled that the seriousness of the allegations required immediate imprisonment.
Before entering prison, Sarkozy expressed courage and calm, saying he would keep his head high and spend his time reading “The Life of Jesus” and The Count of Monte Cristo, the story of a wrongly imprisoned man seeking justice.
His case has deeply divided France, with some viewing the verdict as accountability for political corruption, while others see it as a harsh blow against a former leader.