Former French President Nicholas Sarkozy will be the first French President to be held behind bars to serve a five year prison term in Paris’ La Santé.
Sarkozy was driven to the prison complex on Tuesday morning, waving to his supporters as he left his house.The car driving him was surrounded by dozens of police motorbikes and vehicles, making its way to La Santé Prison in southern Paris.
Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy last month, for his role in a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favors.The former president, who left office in 2012, has appealed his conviction but in the meantime is expected to occupy a cell either in solitary confinement or in the so-called “VIP wing” of La Santé prison complex.That wing is usually reserved for prisoners who are considered unsuitable to be kept among the prison’s general population, usually out of fears for their safety.
They could be politicians, former police officers, members of far-right organizations or those tied to Islamist terror groups, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy looks on as he leaves after the verdict in his trial for illegal campaign financing from Libya for his successful 2007 presidential bid, at the Tribunal de Paris courthouse in Paris, on September 25, 2025. Paris court on September 25, 2025 sentenced former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to five years and ordered him to go to prison after finding him guilty of criminal conspiracy over accusations the late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi helped fund his victorious 2007 presidential run.
The court ordered that Sarkozy should be placed in custody at a later date, with prosecutors given one month to inform the former head of state when he should go to prison.
Verdict for the trial for illegal campaign financing from Libya – Paris, France – 25 Sep 2025
Here’s what awaits ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy behind bars
Notable previous inmates
Cells in the wing are fitted with a metal bed and mattress, a small desk, a fridge, a cooking hob, a television, a shower, toilet and sink, and a fixed telephone line allowing prisoners to call certain authorized numbers.
Previous inmates include Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama who was held there following his extradition from the United States after the American invasion that deposed him.
Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, also known as “Carlos the Jackal,” spent time in the prison, as did Jacques Mesrine, a notorious 1970s murderer and bank robber, whose criminal career was portrayed in a 2008 film starring Vincent Cassel.
Mesrine famously escaped from La Santé while dressed as a prison guard alongside fellow criminal François Besse, according to French public broadcaster France Info.
Marco Mouly, a former prisoner in the prison’s VIP wing told BFMTV in a 2022 documentary that the prison is “alright,” comparing it to a popular European budget hotel chain.
Another former inmate, Didier Schuller, told BFMTV that “the problem is the noise… At night, you’re woken up by people shouting.”
France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy waves to his supporters as he leaves his residence for prison on Tuesday.
In a statement posted to X shortly after the car carrying him set off for prison, Sarkozy stressed that he is an “innocent man.”
“As I prepare to step inside the walls of La Santé prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions,” he said.
“I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it’s not a former president of the Republic being locked up this morning, it’s an innocent man,” he continued.
