Sarkozy to go to prison next week

According to French media citing judicial sources, the start date of Sarkozy’s prison sentence—stemming from his conviction for receiving illegal financial support from the former Libyan government during his 2007 presidential campaign—has been set for October 21, and he is to serve his term at La Santé Prison in Paris.

French reporters said Sarkozy appeared yesterday at the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office, where he had been summoned to be informed of the time and place of his sentence enforcement. He reportedly left the premises within an hour without speaking to journalists or issuing a statement.

On September 25, the Paris Criminal Court found the former president guilty of criminal conspiracy for allowing his closest associates to solicit support from Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya with the goal of illegally financing his 2007 presidential campaign.

Although Sarkozy has appealed the verdict and requested a retrial, he will nevertheless be imprisoned due to the court’s order for “immediate execution of the sentence.” The court justified this decision by citing “the exceptional seriousness of the crimes” committed by a political figure seeking the nation’s highest office at the time.

French media had earlier predicted that, for security reasons, Sarkozy would be held separately from other inmates and would likely be transferred to either La Santé Prison in Paris or Fleury-Mérogis Prison in Essonne—both of which have individual detention units designed to “ensure the president’s safety.”

According to a BFM TV poll, 61% of French respondents consider Sarkozy’s prison sentence “fair,” while 38% deem it “unfair.”