Former French President Sarkozy begins a 5-year prison sentence for campaign finance conspiracy

PARIS (AP) — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy entered a prison in Paris on Tuesday to begin serving a 5-year sentence for a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya — a historic moment that makes him the first ex-leader of modern France to be imprisoned.

Sarkozy, 70, was greeted by hundreds of supporters when he walked out of his Paris home earlier in the day hand-in-hand with his wife, supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. He embraced her before getting into a police car.

Minutes later, the vehicle passed through the gates of the notorious La Santé prison — where Sarkozy will now serve his sentence in solitary confinement.

Sarkozy was convicted last month for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya.

He contests both the conviction and a judge’s unusual decision to incarcerate him pending appeal. His lawyers said Tuesday that they filed an immediate request for his release.

A show of defiance

“It’s an ominous day for him, for France and for our institutions, because this incarceration is a disgrace,” Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois told reporters soon after his incarceration.

In a show of defiance and while on his way to the prison, Sarkozy released a statement on social media declaring that “an innocent man” was being locked up.

“I will continue to denounce this judicial scandal,” he wrote. “The truth will prevail.”

Sarkozy told Le Figaro newspaper that he would bring three books in prison — the maximum allowed — including Alexandre Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo,″ in which the hero escapes from an island prison before seeking revenge. He also picked a biography of Jesus Christ.

“I’m not afraid of prison. I’ll hold my head high, including in front of the doors of La Santé,” he told La Tribune Dimanche newspaper last week. “I’ll fight till the end.”

Sarkozy has repeatedly said he is the victim of “a plot” staged by some people linked to the Libyan government and denounced the Sept. 25 verdict as a “scandal.”

Solitary confinement

Sarkozy’s lawyers said he will be kept away from all other prisoners for security reasons. They said he packed a bag with a few sweaters because the prison is cold and earplugs because it’s noisy.

Christophe Ingrain, another of Sarkozy’s lawyers, denounced “a serious injustice.”

“It’s a very difficult time, but the president has stood strong,” Ingrain said. “He doesn’t complain, hasn’t asked for anything, no special treatment.”

Solitary confinement implies that Sarkozy will never see other inmates and will spend most of his time alone in his cell, Ingrain said.

He will be allowed to go outdoors one hour per day alone in the prison yard and to get three visits per week from his family, Ingrain said, adding that he is planning to write a book about his prison experience.

An outpouring of support for the ex-president

Sarkozy’s journey from the presidential Elysée Palace to La Santé prison has captivated France.

After leaving their home, Sarkozy and his wife walked slowly to join family members, including his children and grandchildren, outside his home.

“I’m very proud to share his name, and very proud of how he’s reacting,” said his brother, Guillaume Sarkozy. “I’m truly convinced that he is innocent.”

Hundreds of supporters applauded and chanted “Nicolas, Nicolas” and sang the French anthem. Two French flags were hung on a nearby fence, with the words “Courage Nicolas, return soon” and “true France with Nicolas.”

Parisian resident Virginie Rochon, 44, came in support of Sarkozy, calling it “scandalous” to see ”a former president being taken away while still presumed innocent.”

Another supporter, Véronique Maurey, 50, said “it’s just not possible. And on top of that, calling it a ‘criminal conspiracy’ kind of makes all of us feel like criminals too because we voted for him. It’s not right to say that.”

Meeting with Macron

Embattled centrist President Emmanuel Macron hosted the conservative Sarkozy at the presidential palace last week, explaining it was “normal on a human level” to receive one of his predecessors in this context.

On Tuesday, Macron said he would not comment on a justice decision. “Nevertheless, it’s normal that the image of a president being imprisoned … may prompt comments,” he said.

“We must distinguish emotion, including the legitimate emotion of relatives and part of the country … and the proper functioning of justice,” Macron added.

Sarkozy has been retired from active politics for years but remains very influential, especially in conservative circles.

France’s top magistrate Rémy Heitz, Prosecutor-General at the Court of Cassation, warned Tuesday about a risk of “hindering (justice) serenity” and of “undermining the independence of judges,” including when the justice minister — a former conservative who joined Macron’s party — plans to visit Sarkozy in prison.

“The goal for everyone must be serenity, to allow justice to truly rule independently… free from any pressure,” Heitz said.

The Paris court ruled last month that Sarkozy would start to serve prison time without waiting for his appeal to be heard, due to “the seriousness of the disruption to public order caused by the offense.”

The court said Sarkozy, as a presidential candidate and interior minister, used his position “to prepare corruption at the highest level” from 2005 to 2007, to finance his presidential campaign with funds from Libya — then led by longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

Under the ruling, Sarkozy was able to file a request for release to the appeals court only once behind bars. Judges have up to two months to process it.

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Associated Press journalists Angela Charlton, Oleg Cetinic and Nicolas Garriga in Paris contributed to this report.

Sylvie Corbet And Masha Macpherson, The Associated Press