The former President of France is expected to cross the threshold of La Santé prison in Paris today Nicolas Sarkozy, sentenced to five years for criminal conspiracy in connection with the illegal financing of his election campaign by the Gaddafi regime.
«I am not afraid of prison, I will keep my head high, even at the gates of La Santé,» he told La Tribune Dimanche two days before he was taken to prison.
Sarkozy will be the first French leader to be imprisoned since Philippe Petain, the leader of the Vichy regime in France and a Nazi collaborator, who was imprisoned after World War II.
His son Louis has called on his father's supporters to gather near Sarkozy's home in Paris to say goodbye as he is taken to prison.
Soyons nombreux à venir exprimer notre soutien à @NicolasSarkozy ce 21 octobre à 8h30.
📍Angle rue Pierre Guérin and rue de la Source. pic.twitter.com/dfCC9M1LeP- Louis Sarkozy (@napsarkozy) October 18, 2025
With a TV but without a mobile phone
According to French media, he will not be in contact with other prisoners. His cell in the VIP wing - the only prison still operating within the French capital - will be 9-12 square metres in size and will have a window and a TV. Also, following the renovation of this wing, all cells have their own shower.
Furthermore, the former president of France will not be allowed to use a mobile phone. Communication with the outside world will be via a telephone line which will be controlled by security. He is expected to be entitled to two visits a week from his family. He even told Figaro that he was advised to get earplugs. «At night you hear a lot of noises, voices, screams,» I was told. He will be allowed to leave his cell for an hour a day, walking in the courtyard, accompanied by three guards.
The 70-year-old has been ordered to appear this morning at the prison in the south of Paris. According to information, he has not requested any privileges during his detention. Speaking to Le Figaro, he said he has taken family photos and three books with him, as allowed for the first week. «I brought the Count Montecristo and two volumes of the biography of Jesus by Jean-Christian Petitfil,» he said.
It is not known how long he will remain incarcerated. However, from the moment of his imprisonment onwards, he has the right to request to serve his sentence at home, wearing the so-called electronic bracelet.
Le Pen tries to take advantage of the situation
The judgment against him Nicolas Sarkozy gave a new opportunity to the far right to turn its arrows towards the judges, whom it accuses of being «politically motivated» and «vindictive» in the wake of the conviction of the leader of the National Rally (RN) for embezzlement of public funds.
The far-right politician is attempting to reap the political benefits of the blow dealt to the traditional right, without however openly identifying with Sarkozy. As Le Monde points out, the two cases are of a different nature, but their political impact is similar and brings together two opponents who, despite their declared antipathy, are now on the same side in the face of justice.
