On a chilly Tuesday morning, October 21, 2025, the streets of Paris bore witness to a scene that would have seemed unthinkable just a decade ago. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, once the most powerful man in France, left his elegant villa in the city’s 16th arrondissement, hand-in-hand with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Surrounded by supporters and family, he stepped into a police car bound for La Santé prison, where he would begin serving a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya. The event marked a historic first in modern French history—a former president behind bars, convicted of accepting millions of euros from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The gravity of the moment was unmistakable. As Sarkozy departed, hundreds of supporters gathered outside his home, waving French flags inscribed with messages like “Courage Nicolas, come back soon” and “True France with Nicolas.” They sang the national anthem and shouted, “Free Nicolas!” while neighbors watched from their balconies. According to AFP, his son Louis had called for a show of support, while another son, Pierre, urged for a message of love—"nothing else, please." The scene was one of both defiance and sorrow, as many in the crowd struggled to reconcile the image of their former leader with the reality of his incarceration.
Sarkozy, now 70, has consistently denied all charges against him. The court’s verdict, delivered the previous month, found him guilty of criminal conspiracy for orchestrating a scheme to funnel illegal Libyan money into his campaign coffers between 2005 and 2007. Presiding judge Nathalie Gavarino cited the “exceptional gravity” of the offenses and ordered immediate incarceration, even as Sarkozy’s legal team filed an appeal. The Paris court ruled that the seriousness of the disruption to public order caused by the offense justified his imprisonment without delay. As BBC reported, Sarkozy’s lawyer Christophe Ingrain insisted, “Nothing justified his imprisonment,” and confirmed that a request for his release had been filed, though he expected the former president would remain inside for “at least three weeks or a month.”
In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter) as he was driven to jail, Sarkozy wrote, “With unwavering strength I tell [the French people] it is not a former president they are locking up this morning—it is an innocent man.” He added, “Truth will prevail. But how crushing the price will have been.” To Le Figaro, he declared, “I’m not afraid of prison. I’ll hold my head high, including in front of the doors of La Santé.” He told La Tribune Dimanche, “I’ll fight till the end.”
Once inside La Santé, Sarkozy was placed in the prison’s solitary confinement wing, a decision made for his own safety. The notorious facility, built in the 19th century and infamous for its overcrowding, now houses its most high-profile inmate in a small cell, measuring between 9 and 11 square meters. According to BBC and AFP, the cell is equipped with a toilet, shower, desk, a small electric hob, and a television—though for the latter, Sarkozy must pay a monthly fee of €14. He is allowed one hour of exercise each day, alone in a segregated courtyard, and receives three family visits per week. He is permitted written and phone contact with the outside world, but, as former prison official Flavie Rault explained to BFMTV, “You are alone, all the time. The only contact you have is with prison staff. You never come across another detainee for security reasons and there’s a type of social isolation which makes life difficult.”
Sarkozy prepared for his incarceration with characteristic resolve. He brought with him three books, the maximum allowed: Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo, in which an innocent man escapes from prison to seek revenge; a biography of Jesus Christ; and another unnamed title. To Le Figaro, he explained his literary choices, hinting at a sense of identification with the wronged protagonist of Dumas’s classic. His lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, called the day “an ominous day for him, for France and for our institutions, because this incarceration is a disgrace.” Another lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, emphasized, “He doesn’t complain, hasn’t asked for anything, no special treatment.”
The conviction and subsequent jailing of Sarkozy have sent shockwaves through France’s political establishment. Not since Philippe Pétain, the Nazi collaborationist leader jailed for treason after World War II, has a French ex-head of state been imprisoned. Sarkozy’s journey from the Elysée Palace to La Santé prison has captivated and polarized the nation. Some, like Parisian resident Virginie Rochon, called the situation “scandalous,” arguing, “It’s just not possible. And on top of that, calling it a ‘criminal conspiracy’ kind of makes all of us feel like criminals too because we voted for him. It’s not right to say that.”
President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted Sarkozy at the Elysée Palace the previous week, declined to comment directly on the judicial decision, stating, “It’s not my role to comment on or criticise judicial decisions.” However, he acknowledged the emotional weight of the moment, saying, “We must distinguish emotion, including the legitimate emotion of relatives and part of the country... and the proper functioning of justice.” Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced plans to visit Sarkozy in prison, emphasizing his duty to ensure the former president’s safety and the proper functioning of the jail. France’s top magistrate, Rémy Heitz, warned against undermining the independence of the judiciary, cautioning, “The goal for everyone must be serenity, to allow justice to truly rule independently... free from any pressure.”
Sarkozy’s legal troubles are far from over. As BBC noted, he has faced a string of criminal inquiries since leaving office in 2012. Just last December, he was convicted in a separate case for attempting to bribe a magistrate, resulting in months of wearing an electronic tag. Late next month, France’s highest administrative court is set to rule on his appeal in the Bygmalion affair, another illegal campaign financing case. Despite his retirement from active politics, Sarkozy remains an influential figure, especially among conservatives, and his incarceration has reignited debates over judicial impartiality, political vendettas, and the rule of law in France.
For now, Nicolas Sarkozy sits alone in his cell, steadfast in his claims of innocence and determined to fight on. Whether history will judge him as a wronged statesman or a disgraced leader, only time—and the courts—will tell.
