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Former French President Sarkozy Begins a 5-Year Prison Sentence for Campaign Finance Conspiracy
Sarkozy is the first former French president jailed since World War Two for illegal campaign funding, serving a five-year sentence under solitary confinement in Paris.
- On October 21, 2025, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy presented himself at La Santé prison in Paris to begin serving a five-year sentence, becoming the first modern French leader jailed.
- The conviction stems from allegations that Gaddafi-backed money financed the 2007 bid, and prosecutors say aides struck a deal with Muammar Gaddafi in 2005 to channel funds to Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign.
- La Santé administrators describe Nicolas Sarkozy’s confinement in single cells with limited outdoor time; Sebastien Cauwel said `He will be able to access the exercise yard, on his own, twice a day` and pay a 14 euros television fee.
- Sarkozy's lawyers filed an immediate release request after he was jailed, while his sons and daughter and supporters gathered as President Emmanuel Macron met him before incarceration.
- The case reflects a judicial trend toward immediate enforcement of sentences via provisional execution orders, with polls from Pollster Elabe showing 58% see the verdict as impartial and 61% support jailing Sarkozy pending appeal.
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Why the wing where he is being held is considered "privileged" - Sarkozy has access to a gym and a library
France's ex-President Sarkozy sits in the Libyan affair in La Santé prison in Paris, where he shares the everyday lives of ordinary prisoners, but there are also certain privileges for the politician.
The former French president takes a famous novel to his cell – and a biography of Jesus.
·Frankfurt, Germany
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources463
Leaning Left71Leaning Right46Center84Last UpdatedBias Distribution42% Center
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources are Center
42% Center
L 35%
C 42%
R 23%
Factuality
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