Former French President Sarkozy Begins Five-Year Prison Sentence for Criminal Conspiracy

Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president who served from 2007 to 2012, has begun serving a five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy involving illegal campaign financing from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He is the first modern French president to be imprisoned, serving his sentence at La Santé prison in Paris under solitary confinement for his security. Sarkozy maintains his innocence and has described his incarceration as a judicial scandal and a humiliation for France, with his lawyers filing for early release. His prison conditions are harsh, with La Santé known for overcrowding and violence, and Sarkozy reportedly brought books including "The Count of Monte Cristo," symbolizing his fight against what he calls a wrongful conviction. Despite the conviction, Sarkozy continues to deny wrongdoing and vows to fight the charges, asserting that the case is based on forged documents. His imprisonment marks a historic moment in French politics and has drawn significant public attention and support from some quarters.