Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy set to begin five-year prison sentence

 The 70-year-old is expected to enter La Santé prison in Paris after being convicted of criminal conspiracy for allegedly financing his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya. Sarkozy continues to maintain his innocence.

The Paris court ruled that Sarkozy must begin serving his sentence immediately, without waiting for his appeal, citing the “seriousness of the disruption to public order caused by the offence.”

Speaking to the press, Sarkozy said he would face prison head-on. “I’m not afraid of prison. I’ll hold my head high, including in front of the doors of La Santé. I’ll fight till the end,” he said.

Inmates in this section have individual nine-square-metre cells equipped with basic facilities, including a small bed, hot plate, pay refrigerator, and pay TV. Prisoners have access to a fixed landline, though all calls are monitored.

Former La Santé inmates described the psychological shock of incarceration, emphasising the abrupt transition from freedom to prison life. “You go from having everything to a small cell — the shock is immediate,” said Pierre Botton, a former prisoner in the vulnerable section.