Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, 70, has begun serving a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of accepting money from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during his 2007 presidential campaign. He was convicted on September 25, when a Paris court found him guilty of several charges, mainly related to the funds he received from Gaddafi in exchange for helping improve Gaddafi’s image in Europe. On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at around 9 a.m., Sarkozy became the first European head of state to be imprisoned after leaving office. Accompanied by his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, h

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, 70, has begun serving a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of accepting money from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during his 2007 presidential campaign. He was convicted on September 25, when a Paris court found him guilty of several charges, mainly related to the funds he received from Gaddafi in exchange for helping improve Gaddafi’s image in Europe. On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at around 9 a.m., Sarkozy became the first European head of state to be imprisoned after leaving office. Accompanied by his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, he entered Prison de la Santé, located in Paris’s 14th arrondissement. According to reports from AFP and Le Figaro, Sarkozy will be held in a special solitary confinement unit known as isolement cellulaire, inside a 9-square-meter cell. The cell includes a single bed, basic cooking facilities, a shower, and a toilet. It also has a small table and a narrow window that lets in limited natural light. Unlike other high-profile inmates or politicians held at La Santé, Sarkozy will not be placed in the VIP section. Prison officials decided to keep him in solitary confinement for his safety. Inside prison, Sarkozy cannot use a smartphone but can communicate with his family. Although his personal phone is banned, he is allowed to make supervised calls through the prison’s monitored phone system. He may also keep up to ten family photos in his cell. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and their children can visit him three times a week in a designated visiting area, where they may talk for 30 minutes. Sarkozy can also meet his lawyers as needed. Once a day, he is allowed one hour outside his cell to walk in a 30-square-meter courtyard surrounded by high walls. He may also exercise and read in the prison library, but these activities are scheduled separately to prevent contact with other inmates. Sarkozy has said he does not want any special privileges or treatment. From the day he entered prison, his lawyers appealed for provisional release. The appeals court is expected to issue a decision within two months. Depending on the ruling, Sarkozy could spend only a few weeks in prison or remain there until 2026, when his appeal trial is due.

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