Former President Sarkozy Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for "Conspiracy to Collect Funds for His 2007 Electoral Campaign"

SadaNews - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy began serving his prison sentence on Tuesday, just days after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.

Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to collect money from Libya to finance his 2007 electoral campaign.

Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, will become the first former French president to be imprisoned since Marshal Philippe Pétain.

The former president reiterated his claim of innocence in posts on his social media accounts before being placed in the "La Santé" prison in a solitary cell.

Sarkozy said before entering prison, "The truth will prevail," but that "the price demanded was overwhelming."

Sarkozy is being sent to prison on Tuesday in Paris to serve his sentence, marking the first such event in European Union countries, approximately a month after he was sentenced to five years in prison for his conviction of obtaining illegal financing from Libya for his 2007 electoral campaign.

On September 25, the judges shocked the courtroom by ordering the former president's imprisonment concurrently with his conviction for "criminal conspiracy," without waiting for the appeal trial scheduled for before the summer.

Sarkozy is being held alone in his cell to ensure his safety. It is still unclear whether he will be placed in solitary confinement or in the section designated for vulnerable individuals, referred to as the "VIP wing."

The Ministry of Justice and the administration of "Paris-La Santé" prison did not respond to questions on this matter.

Sarkozy has been assigned a cell ranging from 9 to 12 square meters, equipped with a landline phone and a television, at a monthly fee of 14 euros.