FORMER French president Nicolas Sarkozy kissed his tearful wife Carla Bruni goodbye as he headed to prison to begin his five-year sentence.
The ex-politician was found guilty of a “criminal conspiracy” plot to launder millions of dollars of cash from ruthless Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi.
He appeared sullen as he headed towards the notorious Parisian La Santé prison – known for its squalid conditions and history of dangerous inmates.
A crowd of supporters rallied around him in a show of solidarity with the former head-of-state.
Supporters chanted “Nicolas, Nicolas” as he left his home for the last time this morning before heading to jail.
Among those supporting was his son Louis and wife Carla, 57, who have stood by his side since the start of his legal troubles in 2012.
Dressed in a dark blue jacket and tie, Sarkozy kissed his former supermodel spouse goodbye, as a crowd of well-wishers including other family members cheered.
He was then driven to La Santé around five miles away and arrived at the prison shortly before 10am local time.
Friends said he had taken books to his 9sq metre cell including Alexandre Dumas’s 19th Century novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, about a man who escapes from jail to take revenge.
Sarkozy was officially signed into his cell at La Santé at 9.40am.
There were cries of ‘Welcome Sarko!’ and ‘Sarkozy’s here!’ from other inmates, as he was led through the main prison to the so-called VIP wing.
A prison source said: “He was well protected, but clearly everyone in the prison knows he’s here.
“There is a lot of noise at all times, and plenty of people were shouting out welcomes to Mr Sarkozy.’
Posting on X before beginning his sentence, Sarkozy vowed to “continue to attack this judicial scandal”.
He wrote in a long message: “I want to tell (French people), with the unshakeable strength that is mine, that it is not a former president of the Republic who is being imprisoned this morning it is an innocent man.”
He added: “As I prepare to cross the walls of La Sante prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions.
“I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it is not a former President of the Republic who is being locked up this morning, it is an innocent person.”
He continued: “I feel deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level.
“I have no doubt. The truth will triumph. But the price to pay will have been crushing.”
Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison – the maximum sentence possible for “criminal conspiracy”.
He was also ordered to pay a fine of €100,000, while the date for the start of his jail term was being set.
Judge Nathalie Gavarino ruled that Sarkozy was guilty of having “allowed his close associates to act with a view to obtaining financial support from the Libyan regime.”
It is the first time that a former French head of state has been found guilty of trying to use foreign money in such a manner.
He previously defended his actions at an EU summit, calling it “normal, on a human level, for me to receive one of my predecessors in this context.”
The ex-president also revealed he is “not afraid” of prison and said he asked for “no privileges” during his time behind bars.
Speaking to La Tribune de Dimanche, he said: “I’m not afraid of prison. I’ll keep my head held high, including at the prison gates.”
He added he packed family photos and three books.
“I’m bringing The Count of Monte Cristo and two volumes of the biography of Jesus by Jean-Christian Petitfils,” he said.
His cell will feature a bed, desk, shower, toilet and hot plate, and he can also apply to have a fridge and TV installed in the space which he will only be allowed to leave for exercise.
Sarkozy will join a long list of dozens of infamous criminals held in the looming jail, which sits next to a school in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.
He will join the ranks of former inmates including the likes of Manuel Noriega, Carlos the Jackal and Parisian gangster Jacques Mesrine, who all did stints behind the prison bars.
Notorious prison
Famously, in 1978 Jacques Mesrine made a daring escape from La Santé, scaling the looming walls and disappearing into the streets of Paris.
The jail has gained so much notoriety over the years that it was dubbed a “a site of memory” by the public relations arm of the French prison service.
But despite the somewhat revered status achieved by La Santé the prison’s history has been riddled with blights.
In 2000 a book was published, penned by the prison’s former chief medical officer, exposing the squalid life led by prisoners caged in La Santé.
The tell-all described a vile infestation of cockroaches and rats and explained how prisoners were piled on top of one another in the grim, overcrowded jailhouse.
According to the novel, suicidal prisoners were bound in chains and inmates suffered the sort of wounds usually only seen in wartime.
Trench foot, and other skin infections were rife and the prison’s community of caged criminals developed a sort of twisted set of rules and morality.
La Santé, it was claimed, was governed by violence and illogic with the authorities abandoning the place to rot.
Control has historically been exercised through violence at the prison with its sordid history seeing dozens of prisoners executed by guillotine, some as recently as 1972.
Roger Bontems and Claude Buffet met their ends in the courtyard of La Santé and became the last two men to be executed by guillotine at the notorious prison.
The pair were publicly killed for their attempt to break out of La Santé, an attempt that saw a nurse and a guard taken as hostages and brutally killed.
Another, less violent, breakout attempt was launched in 1986 when inmate Michel Vaujour fled the prison walls.
His daring escape attempt saw his wife fly a helicopter into the prison to pick him up.
The dramatic escape made headlines and marked the last time a prisoner would find their way out from inside La Santé.
Three of the prison’s worst blocks were closed down in the wake of the scandalous revelations with the French authorities desperately trying to turn things around.
The prison was opened to the public as part of a series of heritage days every autumn, which sees the government open up places of historical importance that are normally hidden from the public gaze.
The government has claimed that its models for reform in its prisons are second to none.
What prison is Sarakozy going to?
- The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will be held in solitary confinement at a Parisian prison renowned for beheadings, escapes and riots.
- The former politician is set to be seconded to La Santé Prison where he will remain in solitary confinement for the duration of his sentence.
- La Santé has stood since 1867 and boasts a grim past, the prison was the site of a number of guillotine beheadings, three high profile escapes and dozens of violent riots.
- It also plays host to a wing termed the “special area” where convicted high profile figures like Sarkozy are held.
- Throughout his time in the notorious prison Sarkozy will be held separately from other inmates and will always be accompanied by a guard for his own safety.
- His cell will feature a bed, desk, shower, toilet and hot plate and he can also apply to have a fridge and TV installed in the space which he will only be allowed to leave for exercise.
- Sarkozy will join a long list of dozens of infamous criminals held in the looming jail, which sits next to a school in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.
- He will join the ranks of former inmates including the likes of Manuel Noriega, Carlos the Jackal and Parisian gangster Jaques Mesrine, who all did stints behind the prison’s bars.
- La Sante is known to have a vile infestation of cockroaches and rats i8n the past and prisoners used to be piled on top of one another in the grim overcrowded jailhouse.
- Sarkozy will serve his five-year sentence on the top floor of the prison’s isolation wing.
- Aside from his cell the ex-president will only be allowed to make two visits a day to one of the prison’s gyms or exercise yards.
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