Sarkozy Imprisoned for Campaign Finance Conspiracy

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has begun serving a five-year prison sentence for conspiring to fund his 2007 presidential campaign with money from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy, 70, was driven to La Santé prison in Paris, where he will occupy a small cell in the isolation wing. He has appealed against his jail term and continues to protest his innocence. The case dates back to 2007 when Sarkozy's presidential campaign was allegedly funded by millions of euros in Libyan cash. Sarkozy was cleared of personally receiving the money but convicted of criminal association with two close aides. The former president has been dogged by criminal inquiries since leaving office in 2012 and has had to wear an electronic tag around his ankle after a conviction last December for trying to bribe a magistrate. Sarkozy's imprisonment has sparked a mix of reactions in France, with some supporters cheering him as he left his villa in Paris.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was imprisoned in Paris on October 21, 2025, after being convicted of campaign finance conspiracy related to his 2007 presidential campaign. Sarkozy was found guilty of seeking funding from Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi and was sentenced to five years in prison. He has appealed the verdict and maintains his innocence. Sarkozy is the first former head of a European Union state to be jailed. He is likely to be held in solitary confinement to avoid contact with other prisoners.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has entered a Paris prison to begin serving a five-year sentence for a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya. Sarkozy, 70, was convicted last month and is the first ex-leader of modern France to be imprisoned. He contests both the conviction and the decision to incarcerate him pending appeal, with his lawyers filing an immediate request for his release. Sarkozy was greeted by hundreds of supporters outside his home before being taken to the notorious La Santé prison, where he will serve his sentence in solitary confinement. The case has sparked controversy, with some supporters viewing it as a 'judicial scandal' and others calling for justice to be served.