PARIS — PARIS (AP) — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived at a jail in Paris on Tuesday to start serving a 5-year sentence for a legal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election marketing campaign with funds from Libya.
He’s the primary ex-leader of contemporary France to be imprisoned.
Sarkozy, hand-in-hand together with his spouse Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, left dwelling earlier than getting right into a police automobile and touring to jail.
On his technique to jail, Sarkozy stated in a press release launched on social media that “an harmless man” was being locked up.
Sarkozy’s attorneys stated a request for launch has been instantly filed.
He was convicted final month for legal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election marketing campaign with funds from Libya.
Sarkozy contests both the conviction and a choose’s uncommon determination to incarcerate him pending enchantment. His journey from the presidential Elysée Palace to the infamous La Santé jail in Paris has captivated France.
Minutes earlier than coming into jail, Sarkozy and his spouse walked slowly to affix his kids and grandchildren exterior his dwelling. He waved at a crowd of supporters gathered within the high-end Paris neighborhood the place he lives, then bought into his automobile.
A whole bunch of supporters applauded and chanted “Nicolas, Nicolas” and sang the French anthem. Two French flags had been held on a close-by fence, with the inscriptions: “Braveness Nicolas, return quickly” and “true France with Nicolas.”
Sarkozy’s sons and daughter — Jean, Pierre, Louis and Giulia — and his grandchildren confirmed up on the gathering.
Parisian resident Michelle Perié, 67, stated she got here in assist “as a result of there may be anger, injustice.”
“He’s not like some other defendants, he’s somebody who holds state secrets and techniques, he’s somebody who has all the time carried out his job together with his head held excessive. We don’t perceive,” she stated.
Embattled centrist President Emmanuel Macron hosted the conservative Sarkozy on the presidential palace final week. ‘’I’ve all the time been very clear in my public statements concerning the independence of the judiciary in my function, however it was regular on a human stage to obtain one in all my predecessors on this context,” Macron stated Monday.
Sarkozy’s attorneys stated the previous president will likely be held in solitary confinement, the place he will likely be refrained from all different prisoners for safety causes.
Sarkozy’s lawyer Christophe Ingrain stated on BFM TV that incarceration “strengthens his willpower, it strengthens his rage to show that he’s harmless.” Ingrain stated Sarkozy is planning to jot down a e book about his jail expertise.
Jean-Michel Darrois, one other of Sarkozy’s attorneys, stated on Tuesday that the previous president bought himself “mentally ready” to be held in solitary confinement, the place he can be refrained from all different prisoners for safety causes.
“First, he packed a bag with a number of sweaters as a result of it’s chilly in jail, and earplugs as a result of it’s very noisy,” Darrois stated on France Data information broadcaster. “Isolation like what he’s going to undergo is painful, however he bought himself ready.”
“I’m not afraid of jail. I’ll maintain my head excessive, together with in entrance of the doorways of La Santé,” Sarkozy advised La Tribune Dimanche newspaper. “I’ll battle until the tip.”
The paper stated Sarkozy has his jail bag prepared with garments and the ten household images he’s allowed to carry.
Sarkozy additionally advised Le Figaro newspaper that he would carry three books — the utmost allowed — together with Alexandre Dumas’ “The Depend of Monte Cristo,” during which the hero escapes from an island jail earlier than searching for revenge.
The Paris choose dominated that Sarkozy would begin to serve jail time with out ready for his enchantment to be heard, on account of “the seriousness of the disruption to public order attributable to the offense.”
Below the ruling, the 70-year-old Sarkozy will solely be capable of file a request for launch to the appeals courtroom as soon as he’s behind bars, and judges will then have as much as two months to course of it.
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AP journalists Angela Charlton, Oleg Cetinic and Nicolas Garriga contributed.
