Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy entered a Paris prison on Tuesday to begin serving a five-year sentence for a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with money from Libya – a historic moment that makes him the first ex-leader of modern France to be jailed.
Sarkozy, 70, was greeted by hundreds of supporters as he left his Paris home earlier in the day hand-in-hand with his wife, supermodel and singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. He hugged her before getting into a police car.
Minutes later, the vehicle passed the gates of the infamous La Santé prison, where Sarkozy will now serve his sentence in solitary confinement.
Sarkozy was convicted last month of criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with money from Libya.
He is contesting both the conviction and a judge’s unusual decision to jail him pending an appeal. His lawyers said Tuesday they have immediately filed a request for his release.
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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy leave their home in Paris on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, as he goes to prison for a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with money from Libya. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A show of resistance
“It is an ominous day for him, for France and for our institutions, because this detention is a shame,” Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois told reporters shortly after his detention.
In defiance and while on his way to prison, Sarkozy released a statement on social media declaring that “an innocent man” was being locked up.
“I will continue to expose this judicial scandal,” he wrote. “The truth will prevail.”
Sarkozy told Le Figaro newspaper that he would bring three books to prison – the maximum allowed – including Alexandre Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo,” in which the hero escapes an island prison before seeking revenge. He also chose a biography of Jesus Christ.
“I am not afraid of prison. I will hold my head high, also in front of the doors of La Santé,” he told La Tribune Dimanche newspaper last week. “I will fight to the end.”
Sarkozy has repeatedly said he is the victim of “a plot” by some people linked to the Libyan government, and has labeled the September 25 verdict a “scandal”.
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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, center, arrives at La Sante prison to serve time for criminal conspiracy in Paris on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Solitary confinement
Sarkozy’s lawyers said he will be kept away from all other prisoners for security reasons. They said he packed a bag with some sweaters and earplugs because the prison is cold and noisy.
Christophe Ingrain, another of Sarkozy’s lawyers, denounced “a serious injustice”.
“It’s a very difficult time, but the president has stood strong,” Ingrain said. “He doesn’t complain, he didn’t ask for anything, he didn’t ask for any special treatment.”
Solitary confinement means Sarkozy will never see other prisoners and will spend most of his time alone in his cell, Ingrain said.
He is allowed out alone in the prison yard for one hour a day and receives three visits a week from his family, Ingrain said, adding that he plans to write a book about his prison experiences.
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People stand behind French flags with the inscription “Courage Nicolas, come back soon”, right, and “Where France with Nicolas” outside the home of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Masha Macpherson)
An outpouring of support for the ex-president
Sarkozy’s journey from the presidential Elysée Palace to La Santé prison has fascinated France.
After leaving their home, Sarkozy and his wife slowly walked outside to join family members, including his children and grandchildren.
“I am very proud to share his name, and very proud of how he reacts,” said his brother Guillaume Sarkozy. “I truly believe he is innocent.”
Hundreds of supporters applauded and chanted “Nicolas, Nicolas” and sang the French national anthem. Two French flags were hung on a nearby fence, with the words “Courage Nicolas, return quickly” and “true France with Nicolas.”
Parisian Virginie Rochon, 44, backed Sarkozy, calling it “scandalous” to see “a former president being taken away while he is still presumed innocent.”
Another supporter, Véronique Maurey, 50, said: “It’s just not possible. And besides, calling it a ‘criminal conspiracy’ makes us all feel like criminals too, because we voted for him. It’s not right to say that.”
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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy reacts before getting into a police car as he heads to prison in Paris on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Meeting with Macron
Controversial centrist President Emmanuel Macron hosted conservative Sarkozy at the presidential palace last week, explaining that it was “normal on a human level” to receive one of his predecessors in this context.
Macron said on Tuesday he would not comment on a court decision. “Still, it is normal that the image of a president in prison… could provoke comment,” he said.
“We must distinguish between emotions, including the legitimate emotions of family members and part of the country… and the proper functioning of justice,” Macron added.
Sarkozy has withdrawn from active politics for years, but remains very influential, especially in conservative circles.
France’s top magistrate Rémy Heitz, attorney general at the Court of Cassation, warned on Tuesday of the risk of “impeding serenity” and “undermining the independence of judges”, even if the justice minister – a former conservative who joined Macron’s party – plans to visit Sarkozy in prison.
“The goal for all must be tranquility so that justice can truly rule independently, free from any pressure,” Heitz said.
The Paris court ruled last month that Sarkozy would serve a prison sentence without waiting for his appeal to be heard, due to “the seriousness of the disruption of public order caused by the crime.”
The court said that Sarkozy, as presidential candidate and interior minister, used his position from 2005 to 2007 “to prepare corruption at the highest level,” to finance his presidential campaign with money from Libya – then led by longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
According to the ruling, Sarkozy could only apply for release to the appeals court once while behind bars. Judges have up to two months to resolve the case.
