Leadership: Ex-French President Sarkozy begins 5-year prison term for ‘finance conspiracy’

*Former French President Nicholas Sarkozy bags five years in jail for criminal conspiracy, for his role in a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favours

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy Tuesday, October 21, 2025, entered a prison in Paris, French capital, on the first day of a five-year sentence.

ConsumerConnect gathered the development marked the first time a former leader of modern France would spend time behind bars.

Sarkozy was chauffeur-driven to the prison complex Tuesday morning, waving to his supporters as he left his house.

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The car driving him was surrounded by dozens of police motorbikes and vehicles, making its way to La Santé Prison in southern Paris.

Sarkozy’s conviction for criminal conspiracy

Report indicated Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy September this year, for his role in a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favours.

The former president, who left office 2012, however, has appealed his conviction.

Still, in the meantime, he is expected to occupy a cell either in solitary confinement or in the so-called “VIP wing” of La Santé prison complex, report said.

It is noted that the wing is usually reserved for prisoners who are considered unsuitable to be kept among the prison’s general population, usually out of fears for their safety.

They could be politicians, former police officers, members of far-right organizations or those tied to Islamist terror groups, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy looks on as he leaves after the verdict in his trial for illegal campaign financing from Libya for his successful 2007 presidential bid, at the Tribunal de Paris courthouse in Paris, on September 25, 2025.

A Paris court September 25, 2025, had sentenced former French President Sarkozy to five years.

The court also ordered him to go to prison after finding him guilty of criminal conspiracy over accusations the late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi helped him to fund his victorious 2007 Presidential Election.

The court ordered that Sarkozy should be placed in custody at a later date, with prosecutors given a month to inform the former head of state when he should go to prison.

What awaits ex-French President behind bars

Notable previous inmates

Cells in the wing are fitted with a metal bed and mattress, a small desk, a fridge, a cooking hob, a television, a shower, toilet and sink, and a fixed telephone line allowing prisoners to call certain authorised numbers, according to report.

Previous inmates include Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama who was held there, following his extradition from the United States (US) after the American invasion that deposed him.

Similarly, Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, also known as “Carlos the Jackal,” spent time in the prison, as did Jacques Mesrine, a notorious 1970s murderer and bank robber, whose criminal career was portrayed in a 2008 film starring Vincent Cassel.

Still, Mesrine famously escaped from La Santé while dressed as a prison guard alongside fellow criminal François Besse, according to French public broadcaster France Info, report said.

Marco Mouly, a former prisoner in the prison’s VIP wing told BFMTV in a 2022 documentary that the prison is “alright,” comparing it to a popular European budget hotel chain.

Another former inmate, Didier Schuller, told BFMTV that “the problem is the noise… At night, you’re woken up by people shouting.”

Sarkozy insists ‘I’m an innocent man’

Meanwhile, in a statement posted to X shortly after the car carrying him set off for prison, Sarkozy stressed that he is an “innocent man”.

The ex-French leader wrote: “As I prepare to step inside the walls of La Santé prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions.

“I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it’s not a former president of the Republic being locked up this morning, it’s an innocent man.”

He equally stated that he would “continue to denounce this judicial scandal”.

Sarkozy, however, said that he is “not to be pitied because my wife and children are by my side, and my friends are countless.”

Earlier, on Tuesday morning, Sarkozy had said he felt “a deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level,” report noted.9

Sarkozy’s legal team has requested that he is granted an early release from jail, Christophe Ingrain, one of the lawyers, told BFMTV Tuesday morning.

The court has two months to decide whether or not to grant this request, according to report.

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