Sarkozy goes to prison: "An innocent man is being held prisoner."

ParisFormer French President Nicolas Sarkozy is already in prison. Sentenced to five years for the crime of criminal association in the case of financing his 2007 presidential campaignThe conservative leader became the first former French head of state to enter a penitentiary on Tuesday, the Santé prison in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.

Sarkozy, 70, will spend his sentence in the prison's isolation ward, not as punishment but for security reasons. Contact with other inmates and photographs of him are to be avoided. His cell measures approximately 10 m² and includes a small television, a bathroom, and a desk. The former president, like the other inmates, will not be allowed a cell phone. According to the French press, he has taken two books with him to prison: The Count of Monte Cristo, a classic by Alexandre Dumas, and a biography of Jesus. In an interview in Le FigaroSarkozy has explained that he will use his time in prison to write a book.

The former Élysée Palace inmate left his home in Paris's 16th arrondissement early this morning, dressed in dark clothing and serious, accompanied by his wife, Carla Bruni. Hundreds of people, summoned via social media by his son Louis, were waiting for him on the street to show their support. The supporters, many of them carrying French flags, applauded Sarkozy and sang La Marseillaise. The former president gave Bruni a brief hug and got into the car, waving to the crowd, first from outside the vehicle and then from inside, through the window, in a carefully staged gesture designed to give the image of a martyr, with the people at his side. "Free Nicolas!" shouted the crowd.

Media Strategy

He then headed to La Santé, escorted by police and media vehicles, which broadcast the entire journey live, as is customary when a politician wins the presidential election. It was all part of his media strategy to present himself as the victim of an injustice. From the start of the trial, Sarkozy has based his defense on attacking the French justice system.

Before entering prison, Nicolas Sarkozy posted a message on X to denounce a "judicial scandal" and insist on his innocence, despite the fact that the trial proved that people close to him received money from the Libyan regime of Moammar Gaddafi to finance the campaign. "It is not a former president of the Republic who is closing this morning, but an innocent person," he claimed.

However, the ruling concluded that Sarkozy had negotiated campaign financing with Gaddafi, and his entourage had received the money, but there was insufficient evidence to confirm it was used for the campaign—the money trail is lost when it is sent to tax havens. He was therefore convicted of illicit association, but acquitted of corruption, illegal campaign financing, and misappropriation of public funds. The sentence condemned him to five years in prison, a €100,000 fine, and five years of disqualification from holding public office.

Despite the conviction and his imprisonment, Sarkozy could be released within weeks. His lawyers have already requested conditional release, and given the fact that the sentence is not final, that he is unlikely to reoffend, and his age, it is very likely that it will be granted. The court must rule within two months. "Our goal is to get him out of prison," said one of his lawyers, Christophe Ingrain, on Tuesday. The former president could eat his own food at home.

Received by Macron at the Élysée Palace

Four days before entering prison, President Emmanuel Macron invited Sarkozy to the Élysée Palace, a gesture that raised eyebrows and could jeopardize the separation of powers. "I have always publicly expressed very clearly my respect for the independence of the judiciary in the role that corresponds to me," Macron asserted. The head of state defended himself by asserting that it is "normal, from a human point of view," to receive Sarkozy at the presidential palace.

A union of judges has also questioned Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin's willingness to visit Sarkozy in prison. Darmanin, a right-winger and a personal friend of the former president, has announced that he will go to Santé as Minister of Justice: "I will go to see him in prison and, as Minister of Justice, I will be concerned about his security conditions." For the Attorney General of the Court of Appeal, Rémy Heitz, the visit "could undermine the independence of the judges."