Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy spent his first night at La Santé prison in Paris, and it proved to be nightmarish. France’s once powerful leader faced death threats, insults and mockery from fellow inmates, in a scene that shocked French public opinion.
Sarkozy, who is serving a five-year sentence for illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, is the first former EU head of state to be imprisoned.
Read: Nicolas Sarkozy: What books he took to his cell – He will write memoirs about his prison experience
Insults for Sarkozy behind bars
Videos circulating on social media show fellow inmates mocking the former president, shouting: “Little Nicolas! Show us your head!”
Laughter and taunts can be heard, while in another video an inmate directly threatens Sarkozy: “We know everything, Sarko… Give back the billions!”
The shouting, insults and screaming lasted all night, with guards saying the aim was to prevent him from sleeping even for a minute.
Strict security after threats against Sarkozy
After the video leaks, the French Interior Ministry ordered two police officers from the VIP protection service (SDLP) to be transferred to the cell next to Sarkozy’s, guarding him 24 hours a day.
However, according to a prison source, their presence caused strong displeasure among correctional staff: “We are professionals. We don’t need support from the police. Sarkozy is already safe in his cell,” said one guard.
Despite tensions, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez defended the decision saying: “I am responsible for the security of high-ranking officials.”
Daily life behind bars
Sarkozy is held in a 9-square-meter cell, where he eats, sleeps and showers in the same space. His lawyer, Jean Michel Darois, told Le Parisien that his client “endures with strength and optimism”: “He has already started exercising and is writing his memoirs. He doesn’t complain.”
He was visited by his wife Carla Bruni, who remained by his side until the last moment before his imprisonment.
“If he worries about anything, it’s his family,” his lawyer emphasized.
“He will have a hard time”
One of the leaked videos speaks of revenge. An inmate can be heard shouting: “We know everything, we will take revenge for Gaddafi… Give back the billions, Sarko!”
The Gaddafi case remains one of the most explosive political scandals in modern French history, with Sarkozy maintaining his innocence and declaring he will fight to the end.
