Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was incarcerated Tuesday morning at the Santé prison in Paris to serve a five-year prison sentence, including two years suspended, in the affair of the Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign. He becomes the first former head of state of the Fifth Republic to be effectively imprisoned.
Nicolas Sarkozy, aged 70, left his home in the 16th arrondissement of Paris mid-morning, accompanied by his wife Carla Bruni. He was taken directly to La Santé prison, where he was placed in custody around 11 a.m. In front of his building, several dozen supporters gathered to show their support, while a large security presence surrounded the departure of the convoy.
The decision to immediately incarcerate the former president follows the judgment rendered on September 25, 2025, sentencing him to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy. The judges ruled that his 2007 presidential campaign had benefited from hidden funds from the Libyan regime of Muammar Gueddafi. The court ordered the immediate execution of the sentence, considering that the seriousness of the facts did not allow its application to be suspended, despite the appeal filed by the defense.
Nicolas Sarkozy, who categorically denies any offense, published a message shortly before his departure reaffirming his innocence and denouncing “a profound injustice”. His lawyers announced that they will file a request for provisional release in the coming days.
This incarceration marks an unprecedented turning point in French political history. Never has a former President of the Republic been taken to prison following a conviction linked to the exercise of his functions. Several right-wing political leaders expressed their solidarity with the former head of state, denouncing “judicial relentlessness”, while others on the left hailed a “historic” moment for the independence of the judiciary.
The so-called “Libyan financing” affair has its origins in investigations opened in 2012, after the fall of the Gaddafi regime. Investigations revealed the alleged existence of money transfers intended to support the 2007 campaign. Fourteen people were referred to justice in this case, including several former collaborators of Nicolas Sarkozy.
