A 9-12 square metres cell, a single solitary walk a day alone, no personal cell phone – that is Nicolas Sarkozy’s future for the subsequent five years.
He’ll today grow to be the primary former French president in living memory to be imprisoned.
Not since World War II – when Nazi collaborationist leader Philippe Pétain was jailed for treason in 1945 – has any French ex-leader gone behind bars.
Sarkozy will start his sentence for conspiring to fund his 2007 presidential election campaign with money from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
After kissing his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, goodbye this morning, the 70-year-old got right into a police automotive and departed for La Santé Prison in Paris.
On his solution to prison, Sarkozy said in a press release released on social media that ‘an innocent man’ was being locked up.
His lawyers confirmed that a request for his release has been immediately filed.
Minutes before entering the jail, a whole lot of his supporters applauded and chanted ‘Nicolas, Nicolas’ and sang the French anthem.
Two French flags were held on a fence, with messages: ‘Courage Nicolas, return soon’ and ‘true France with Nicolas.’
The previous state leader was convicted last month, but contested each the conviction and a judge’s unusual decision to incarcerate him – pending an appeal.
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