Former President Nicolas Sarkozy was imprisoned on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at La Santé prison in Paris, one month after his conviction for criminal conspiracy in the Libyan financing case of his 2007 campaign. Two security officers were placed in an adjacent cell to ensure his protection, while his lawyers immediately filed a release request. This incarceration marks a historic first for a former French head of state.
Nicolas Sarkozy, sentenced to five years in firm prison for criminal conspiracy in the suspected Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign, joined La Santé prison on Tuesday morning. This sentence, with a deferred deposit warrant and provisional execution, led to his immediate incarceration despite an ongoing appeal. It is the first time a former French president has been imprisoned.
Arriving at 9:39 a.m., Sarkozy was greeted by inmates' shouts such as 'Oh welcome Sarkozy!' and 'There's Sarkozy!', broadcast live on television. After intake formalities, he was placed in isolation: alone in his cell, escorted by a guard for all movements, including to the visiting room. This measure aims to ensure 'the security of Mr. Sarkozy and the good order of the facility,' according to the director of the prison administration, Sébastien Cauwel, speaking on RTL.
To bolster his protection, two security officers accompanied him and were installed in an adjacent cell, as learned by AFP from three sources close to the file, confirming information from TF1-LCI. 'There is no question of taking the slightest risk regarding the security of a former president,' explained one of these sources. The Justice Ministry referred to the Interior Ministry, which did not comment.
Sarkozy's lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, described this arrangement as unprecedented on LCI: 'Never seen that' in his career, adding that the prison administration deemed it essential to supplement his protection, as it 'can never guarantee zero risk.' His other lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, emphasized in front of the prison: it is 'anything but a special treatment.' Sarkozy's entourage refrained from commenting on security, citing the exclusive competence of the Interior Ministry.
His lawyers, Christophe Ingrain and Jean-Michel Darrois, accompanied him to the prison threshold and filed a twelve-page release request with the Paris Court of Appeal, which has two months to rule. Ingrain estimates the detention at a minimum of three weeks to one month. Before his departure, hundreds of supporters gathered outside his home.
Despite his incarceration, Sarkozy will retain upon release the benefits granted to former presidents by the 2016 decree, as specified in a note from the General Secretariat of the Government.
