PARIS: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been jailed over a case involving illegal Libyan funding for his 2007 election campaign. He becomes the first former leader of an EU country to serve time behind bars. Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, was convicted in September for criminal conspiracy linked to late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi. He has appealed the verdict, calling it an “injustice.”
He is being held at La Sante Prison in Paris, likely in a solitary confinement cell for security reasons. “If they want me to sleep in prison, I will — with my head held high,” Sarkozy told reporters after his sentencing. The court found that Sarkozy’s team made a secret deal with Kadhafi in 2005 to finance his 2007 campaign in exchange for political favors. However, he was cleared of charges of embezzlement and corruption.
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Judge Nathalie Gavarino said the crime was of “exceptional gravity”, ordering him to be jailed even during appeal. His lawyers are expected to seek his release under supervision or house arrest soon. This is not Sarkozy’s first conviction. In 2021, he was found guilty of bribery and influence peddling, serving part of his sentence under electronic monitoring. He was also stripped of France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honour.
Despite his legal troubles, Sarkozy still enjoys support among some conservatives. His son Louis Sarkozy has called on supporters to gather outside their home in solidarity. A recent Elabe poll shows that 60% of French citizens believe the latest sentence is fair.
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Sarkozy’s case is one of the biggest political scandals in modern French history, involving international money trails, secret deals, and alleged connections to Libya’s former regime. Other well-known figures once held in La Sante Prison include Carlos the Jackal and Jean-Luc Brunel, a former associate of Jeffrey Epstein.