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Ex-French Leader to serve his sentence in solitary confinement
(MENAFN) Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, recently convicted of criminal conspiracy over illicit funding for his 2007 election campaign, is expected to serve his sentence in solitary confinement, according to media reports.
A Paris court on September 25 sentenced the 70-year-old ex-leader to five years in prison for allegedly seeking secret campaign contributions from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Judges determined that Sarkozy had offered to help rehabilitate Libya’s international reputation in exchange for the funds. The presiding judge described the offense as being of “exceptional gravity” and ruled that Sarkozy must begin serving his sentence even if an appeal is pending.
Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, has now become the first former head of an EU member state to be imprisoned. His sentence is expected to begin on Tuesday.
Citing unnamed staff at Paris’s La Santé prison, a news agency reported that Sarkozy will likely be placed in a nine-square-meter (approximately 95-square-foot) cell in the facility’s solitary-confinement section. The decision was reportedly made to limit his interactions with other inmates due to his status as a former president.
Sarkozy has denounced the ruling as an “injustice” and maintains his innocence. His legal team has filed an appeal and is expected to request that his sentence be converted into house arrest once he begins serving time.
The investigation into Sarkozy’s alleged ties to Libyan funding began in 2013, following claims made by Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, who said in 2011 that his father had transferred around €50 million (approximately $54.3 million) to Sarkozy’s campaign.
As president, Sarkozy played a key role in NATO’s 2011 intervention in Libya, which ultimately led to Gaddafi’s overthrow and death at the hands of anti-government forces.
This latest conviction adds to Sarkozy’s growing list of legal troubles. He has previously been found guilty in two separate cases involving corruption, influence peddling, and illegal campaign financing, both resulting in sentences served under house arrest.
A Paris court on September 25 sentenced the 70-year-old ex-leader to five years in prison for allegedly seeking secret campaign contributions from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Judges determined that Sarkozy had offered to help rehabilitate Libya’s international reputation in exchange for the funds. The presiding judge described the offense as being of “exceptional gravity” and ruled that Sarkozy must begin serving his sentence even if an appeal is pending.
Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, has now become the first former head of an EU member state to be imprisoned. His sentence is expected to begin on Tuesday.
Citing unnamed staff at Paris’s La Santé prison, a news agency reported that Sarkozy will likely be placed in a nine-square-meter (approximately 95-square-foot) cell in the facility’s solitary-confinement section. The decision was reportedly made to limit his interactions with other inmates due to his status as a former president.
Sarkozy has denounced the ruling as an “injustice” and maintains his innocence. His legal team has filed an appeal and is expected to request that his sentence be converted into house arrest once he begins serving time.
The investigation into Sarkozy’s alleged ties to Libyan funding began in 2013, following claims made by Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, who said in 2011 that his father had transferred around €50 million (approximately $54.3 million) to Sarkozy’s campaign.
As president, Sarkozy played a key role in NATO’s 2011 intervention in Libya, which ultimately led to Gaddafi’s overthrow and death at the hands of anti-government forces.
This latest conviction adds to Sarkozy’s growing list of legal troubles. He has previously been found guilty in two separate cases involving corruption, influence peddling, and illegal campaign financing, both resulting in sentences served under house arrest.
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