France is set to finalize the prison date for former president Nicolas Sarkozy, following his five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy in a scheme that allegedly involved financing his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya. The 70-year-old former leader, who continues to claim innocence, has denounced the verdict as a scandal and has filed an appeal. Despite the appeal, the Paris court ruled that Sarkozy’s sentence is to be enforced immediately due to the gravity of the offenses and their disruption of public order.
Sarkozy, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, has 18 days from the court ruling to organize his personal and professional affairs before being summoned by the National Financial Prosecutor’s office to set a formal incarceration date. The court emphasized that the decision was not exceptional, citing that a majority of individuals sentenced to at least two years in France are immediately imprisoned.
The charges stem from allegations that Sarkozy and his close aides engaged in secret dealings with Libyan officials, including Abdullah al-Senoussi, the brother-in-law of former Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi. The court found that between 2005 and 2007, Sarkozy used his position as interior minister and presidential candidate to facilitate corruption at the highest levels, seeking illicit campaign funding from Libya. Al-Senoussi, long associated with acts of terrorism against French and European citizens, was already convicted in absentia by a French court for the 1989 bombing of UTA Flight 772.
Sarkozy, however, maintains that he is the victim of a political conspiracy orchestrated by remnants of the Gadhafi regime. He argues that the accusations were motivated by revenge for his support of the 2011 NATO-led intervention in Libya, which resulted in Gadhafi’s overthrow and death. The court also noted that while there was no direct evidence the Libyan funds financed Sarkozy’s campaign or enriched him personally, his conduct warranted the severe penalty.
The former president is expected to serve his sentence at La Santé prison in Paris, where a secure “VIP area” is reserved for high-profile inmates. He is likely to be held alone in a cell equipped with basic amenities, including a shower, toilet, fridge, and television. Sarkozy will have the right to request release while awaiting the outcome of his appeal, which is anticipated to be heard next spring.
