Nicolas Sarkozy to Become First Former French President to be Imprisoned

Nicolas Sarkozy is set to become the first former French president in living memory to be imprisoned, as he begins his sentence on Tuesday in Paris' La Santé prison. Convicted of criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya, Sarkozy maintains his innocence. Despite his conviction, Sarkozy is expected to be held in solitary confinement or the prison's vulnerable inmates section, colloquially known as the VIP section. The prison, which has held high-profile inmates like Capt. Alfred Dreyfus and the Venezuelan militant known as Carlos the Jackal, has been fully renovated in recent years.

Key Takeaways:

• Nicolas Sarkozy will become the first former French president to be imprisoned, serving time for his conviction in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya.
• Sarkozy is expected to be held in solitary confinement or the prison's vulnerable inmates section, where he will have a 9-square-meter cell with a hot plate, pay refrigerator, and pay TV.
• Inmates in the VIP section have fixed landline phones to make calls, but are not allowed to receive calls on the same line.
• Boris Botton, a former inmate who was imprisoned in La Santé's vulnerable section, described the harsh realities of life in prison, including the "shock" of incarceration and the loss of individuality.
• Sarkozy has been denied special privileges and will have to adapt to life in prison, according to Botton, who has known Sarkozy for decades.
• Sarkozy's son, Louis, has called for a rally in support of his father in the high-end Paris neighborhood where Sarkozy lives with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

Statistics:

• La Santé prison has held over 130 years of high-profile inmates, including renowned figures like Capt. Alfred Dreyfus.
• Sarkozy has been convicted of criminal conspiracy, a serious offense that carries a sentence of up to 5 years in prison.
• The prison's vulnerable inmates section has 18 identical 9-square-meter cells with fixed landline phones.
• Inmates in the section are allowed to bring 3 books and 10 family photos to their cells.
• Botton spent 2 years in La Santé's vulnerable section for misappropriation of funds from a charitable organization.

Sources:

• Botton, Pierre. "QB4, the Author's Account of his Time in La Santé Prison". The Associated Press
• Botton, Pierre. Interview with The Associated Press, shared in the article "Nicolas Sarkozy to Begin Serving Prison Time".
• Balkany, Patrick. Interview with RTL radio, shared in the article "Nicolas Sarkozy to Begin Serving Prison Time".
• AP writer Sylvie Corbet contributed to this report.