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Nicolas Sarkozy is the first former French president in recent history to be sent to prison, starting his five-year sentence at Paris’ La Santé prison on Tuesday. He was convicted of criminal conspiracy related to efforts to use Libyan funds to support his 2007 election campaign.

The leader of France from 2007 to 2012, Sarkozy is set to complete his sentence in a prison that has held numerous high-profile prisoners since the 1800s.

They feature Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who was unjustly found guilty of treason in a notorious antisemitic case at the start of the last century, and the Venezuelan left-wing militant Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, also known as Carlos the Jackal, who orchestrated several terrorist attacks within France.

In a historic decision last month, a Paris judge determined that Sarkozy must begin his prison sentence immediately, without awaiting the outcome of his appeal, citing “the severity of the disturbance to public order resulting from the offense.”

According to the decision, the former French president is allowed to submit an application for release to the appellate court only after he is incarcerated. The judges will be given a maximum of two months to handle the request.

The National Financial Prosecutor’s office informed Sarkozy about the specifics of his arrest last Monday, although the details remain undisclosed. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin stated that Sarkozy will be admitted to La Santé on Tuesday and that he will personally visit him to verify that security conditions are properly in place.

The La Santé prison

Before his imprisonment, Sarkozy stated to Le Figaro newspaper that he anticipates being placed in isolation, where he would be separated from all other inmates for safety purposes.

An alternative is that he is confined in the prison’s area designated for “vulnerable” individuals, often referred to as the VIP wing.

There, Sarkozy could have his own cell, one of 18 similar 9-square-meter rooms located in a section that is apart from the rest of the general prison population.

The facility, which began operations in 1867, has undergone complete restoration in recent times.

“It’s not Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of the republic, who is coming… It’s a person who will live in the same way as everyone else,” said Pierre Botton, a former businessman who became an author, and was incarcerated in the vulnerable wing of La Santé between 2020 and 2022 for misusing funds from a charitable organization.

Botton, who mentioned he has been familiar with Sarkozy for many years, voiced uncertainty about whether the former president will receive numerous special benefits while incarcerated.

“Even if you hold the position of president of the Republic, even if you are extremely wealthy, you have no control over decisions,” he added.

Sarkozy to keep his ‘head high’

The former leader has rejected any allegations of misconduct and objected to the ruling that he should be detained while appealing the verdict.

I’m not afraid of jail. I will keep my head up, even in front of the doors of La Santé,” Sarkozy said to La Tribune Dimanche newspaper. “I will fight until the end.

La Tribune Dimanche states that Sarkozy has his prison bag prepared, containing clothes and 10 family photos he is permitted to carry.

Sarkozy also mentioned to Le Figaro newspaper that he would carry three books — the maximum permitted — The Count of Monte Cristo in two volumes and a biography of Jesus Christ.

The protagonist of the two-volume novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas breaks free from an island prison where he was held for 14 years before embarking on a quest for vengeance.

A rally was organized on Tuesday morning by one of Sarkozy’s sons, Louis, in support of his father, taking place in the upscale Paris district where Sarkozy resides with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

Bruni-Sarkozy has shared photos of Nicolas Sarkozy’s children and songs in his honour on her social media feeds since his conviction.