Former President Nicolas Sarkozy today entered custody at La Santé Prison in Paris following the September verdict related to charges of criminal conspiracy concerning the 2007 presidential campaign funding.
Nicolas Sarkozy has become the first French ex-president to go to jail, as he starts a five-year sentence for conspiring to fund his election campaign with money from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.https://t.co/TxVGWMWND6
— Waihiga Mwaura (@WaihigaMwaura) October 21, 2025
Upon his transfer this morning, the former President issued a clear and defiant statement, asserting his innocence and resolute conviction in the legal process.
“It is not a former president of the republic being jailed this morning, but an innocent man,” Mr. Sarkozy stated. “The truth will prevail. I will sleep in prison, but with my head held high.”
Maître Christophe Ingrain, lead counsel for Mr. Sarkozy, confirms that the legal team has immediately filed a request for his provisional release pending the full appeal of the verdict.
“We have taken all necessary legal steps to challenge this unprecedented and unfair decision,” Maître Ingrain stated. “While we anticipate Mr. Sarkozy will spend at least three weeks to a month in custody while the appeal for release is processed, we are confident that the judicial process will ultimately overturn this conviction.”
Despite the current circumstances, Mr. Sarkozy remains in high spirits and focused on his legal fight. He entered custody prepared for the period ahead, taking with him a biography of Jesus and a copy of Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo—a novel which powerfully reflects the journey of an innocent man enduring wrongful imprisonment.
The family and legal team extend their deepest gratitude to the numerous supporters who gathered this morning. We ask that the privacy of the former President and his family be respected as we continue to pursue all available legal avenues to ensure that justice is rendered and Mr. Sarkozy’s name is cleared.
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