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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy Imprisoned at La Santé Prison

CameroonOnline.ORG | Paris, October 21, 2025 — In an unprecedented moment in the history of France’s Fifth Republic, former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been incarcerated at La Santé Prison in Paris. This marks the first time a former head of state will spend the night behind bars.

Early in the morning, several of Sarkozy’s supporters gathered outside his Paris residence, expressing solidarity as he departed for the prison. On his social media accounts, the former president assured his followers that “the truth will prevail.” His legal team immediately filed a request for provisional release.

Sarkozy, convicted in late September 2025 of association de malfaiteurs (criminal conspiracy), arrived near La Santé Prison around 9:30 a.m. Inmates reportedly shouted “Welcome Sarkozy!” and “Sarkozy is here!” from their cells as he entered the facility located in Paris’s 14th arrondissement.

The scene carried a striking irony. Two decades earlier, as Minister of the Interior, Sarkozy had visited the suburb of Argenteuil, where he made his now-famous remark about “getting rid of the hoodlums,” a statement that became emblematic of his tough stance on law and order. That comment has long symbolized the tension between political elites and marginalized youth in France’s disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Less than an hour before his incarceration, Sarkozy posted a statement online expressing “deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by an act of vengeance that has raised hatred to unprecedented levels.” The message reflected his continued defiance toward the Paris Criminal Court’s ruling, which sentenced him to five years in prison, five years of ineligibility from public office, and a €100,000 fine. The court found that he had allowed close associates to seek illegal campaign funding from the Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 presidential bid.

Jean-Michel Darrois, one of Sarkozy’s lawyers, described the imprisonment as a “disgrace.” Another attorney, Christophe Ingrain, stated outside La Santé that the former president had entered the facility “to face the procedures of detention” and that he “was standing firm.” According to Ingrain, “He went in, greeted the people waiting for him, and complied with the formalities.”

A request for Sarkozy’s release has already been submitted and is expected to be reviewed within approximately one month. “Whatever happens,” Ingrain told Europe 1, “it will mean three weeks to a month in detention.”

The event has stirred debate across France, with reactions ranging from shock to vindication. While his supporters denounce what they see as a politically motivated verdict, critics argue that the imprisonment underscores the principle that no one, not even a former president, is above the law.

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