Overview
- France’s former president entered Paris’s La Santé prison on Tuesday and was placed in a special isolation unit for security reasons, according to French media reports.
- He is serving a five-year sentence, with three years to be spent in custody, following a September 25 ruling that the court said reflected the exceptional gravity of the offenses.
- Reports describe an 11-square-meter cell with basic furnishings and controlled movement, three weekly visits, monitored calls to 10 approved numbers, and escorted exercise in a secured yard.
- His lawyers have formally sought temporary release, with a decision expected within weeks to two months, and non-custodial measures remain possible if legal conditions for detention are not met.
- Emmanuel Macron expressed personal sympathy after meeting Sarkozy, while the justice minister’s plan to visit him drew criticism from judges’ unions; Sarkozy denies wrongdoing and has vowed to continue his legal fight.