The 70-year-old former leader arrived at La Santé prison in Paris, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the man who once ruled France between 2007 and 2012.

Sarkozy, accompanied by his wife Carla Bruni, left his residence hand in hand as supporters gathered to chant his name and sing France’s national anthem, La Marseillaise. In a post on X shortly before entering prison, Sarkozy maintained his innocence, describing himself as “a victim of revenge and hatred,” and insisting that “it is not a former president who is being imprisoned today it is an innocent man.”

His conviction follows years of investigations into allegations that his 2007 campaign received millions of euros in cash from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Although Sarkozy was found guilty of conspiring with aides to facilitate the scheme, he was acquitted of personally accepting or using the funds.

Lawyers for Sarkozy have filed an appeal and requested his early release, which could be reviewed within a month potentially allowing him to return home before Christmas. Meanwhile, he will be held in La Santé’s isolation unit, where inmates stay in private 9–12 square-meter cells equipped with showers, and may access television and a landline for a small monthly fee.