Paris, 21 October 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is set to begin his prison sentence in La Santé prison in central Paris on Tuesday, after being sentenced to five years in connection with illegal campaign funding from Libya.

The jail has an area for prisoners who require special protection, for example because they are celebrities.

Sarkozy was found guilty last month of criminal conspiracy. The court ordered the provisional enforcement of the judgement, meaning that Sarkozy, 70, has to start his prison term despite launching an appeal.

He has always vehemently denied the allegations.

Due to his age, Sarkozy can apply for conditional release immediately after entering prison. This applies to prisoners in France who are aged 70 and over.

Sarkozy was received by President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace on Friday. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that he would visit Sarkozy in prison.

The Libya affair revolves around allegations that millions of euros were illegally channelled into Sarkozy's 2007 presidential election campaign by the regime of then-Libyan ruler Moamer Gaddafi.

The Paris Criminal Court convicted Sarkozy of criminal conspiracy but acquitted him of charges of bribery, illegal campaign financing and benefiting from the embezzlement of public funds.

Photo: EPA