Nicolas Sarkozy, who was sentenced to 5 years in prison for “conspiracy with former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi” in the case concerning the financing of his 2007 election campaign, has the right to seek a pardon from Emmanuel Macron to avoid being sent to Paris prisons. However, his lawyer rules out such a possibility, and the former French president will be informed on October 13 about when he will cross the prison threshold.
On October 13, Nicolas Sarkozy will learn directly from the prosecutor the date he will go to prison for five years, as his sentence stipulates. He will serve his time in a prison near Paris. There is no special VIP wing there, and therefore he will not enjoy special treatment. He will stay in a nine-square-meter cell and will have yard time for one hour per day, just like his fellow inmates. However, his lawyer rules out the possibility that the former president will seek a pardon from Emmanuel Macron.
“I will fight until my last breath for my innocence,” he declared, denouncing the judicial body for bias, as there is insufficient evidence for the indictment, while it became known that the judge who read the verdict had participated in demonstrations against Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011.
French public opinion appears divided in the face of the conviction and the immediate implementation of the sentence.
One side welcomes the imposition of sanctions in corruption cases, while the other accuses the judges of trying to impose themselves on the country’s political life.
