Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made history as the first ex-leader of France to be imprisoned, beginning a five-year jail sentence for allegedly receiving illegal campaign funds from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Sarkozy, who led France between 2007 and 2012, was taken to La Santé Prison in Paris’s Montparnasse district under heavy police security. Crowds gathered outside his home earlier in the day, cheering and shouting his name as he departed alongside his wife, former model and singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. His sons had urged supporters to send messages of love and solidarity.
His lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, announced that an appeal had been filed for his release, arguing that there was no legal basis for his detention. Sarkozy, who has been placed in the prison’s isolation wing for his safety, reportedly requested no special treatment despite the high-profile nature of the case.