Nicolas Sarkozy has become the first French ex-president to go to jail, as he starts a five-year sentence for conspiring to fund his election campaign with money from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Not since World War II, Nazi collaborationist leader Philippe Pétain was jailed for treason in 1945, has any French ex-leader gone behind bars.
Sarkozy, who was president from 2007-2012, has appealed against his jail term at La Santé prison, where he will occupy a cell roughly measuring 9 sq m (95 sq ft) in the jail’s isolation wing. More than 100 people stood outside the jail, after his son Louis, 28, called on supporters for a show of support. Another son, Pierre, called for a message of love – “nothing else, please”.
Sarkozy has said he wants no special treatment at the notorious La Santé prison. However, he has been put in the isolation section for his own safety, as other inmates are notorious drug dealers or have been convicted of terror offences. Other than Philippe Pétain, the only other former French head of state to have been jailed was King Louis XVI before his execution in January 1793.Nicolas Sarkozy has maintained his innocence and has lodged an appeal. Inside his cell, he will have a toilet, shower, desk and small TV. He will be allowed one hour a day for exercise, by himself. At the end of last week, he was received at the Élysée Palace by President Emmanuel Macron, who told reporters on Monday, “it was normal that on a human level I should receive one of my predecessors in that context”.
In a further measure of official support for the ex-president, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said he would go to visit him in prison as part of his role in ensuring Sarkozy’s safety and the proper functioning of the jail. “I cannot be insensitive to a man’s distress,” he added.
