Former French President Sarkozy Begins Historic Five-Year Prison Sentence for Campaign Fund Conspiracy

Nicolas Sarkozy, former president of France from 2007 to 2012, has begun serving a five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy related to illegally obtaining campaign funds from Libya's late dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He is the first modern French president to be imprisoned, a historic event evoking comparisons to wartime leader Philippe Pétain. Despite his conviction, Sarkozy maintains his innocence, calling the proceedings a "judicial scandal" and plans to appeal the verdict. His arrival at La Santé prison was marked by a public display of support from his family and hundreds of supporters chanting his name and singing the French national anthem. Sarkozy has been placed in solitary confinement within the prison's isolation wing for his own safety. The case continues to attract significant attention as it unfolds, highlighting issues of political corruption and justice in France.