Overview
- Nicolas Sarkozy entered the La Santé prison on October 21, becoming the first former French or EU head of state to be incarcerated following a criminal conviction.
- He is held in the isolation wing and will be alone in his cell for security reasons, the national prisons director confirmed.
- His defense immediately submitted a request for release, potentially with electronic monitoring, and the court has up to two months to rule under criteria such as flight risk, interference, reoffending or safety.
- Emmanuel Macron met Sarkozy at the Élysée on October 17 and later questioned the use of provisional execution, while Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin’s plan to visit the inmate drew criticism from magistrates concerned about judicial independence.
- Supporters gathered outside Sarkozy’s home as he departed, and separate legal milestones remain on the calendar, including a November 26 Court of Cassation date in the Bygmalion case.