PARIS
\nFormer French President Nicolas Sarkozy is set to learn Monday when and where he will serve time in prison for criminal conspiracy for a scheme to use funds from Libya to finance his winning 2007 campaign. The first ex-president in modern French history to be imprisoned, Sarkozy maintains his innocence and has protested the decision to put him behind bars pending his appeal.
\nSarkozy, 70, is to appear Monday at the National Financial Prosecutor\u2019s office, which will set a date and location for his incarceration.
\nWhile long retired from active politics, Sarkozy remains an influential figure in conservative circles. He served as president from 2007 to 2012 and was previously convicted in another corruption case but hasn\u2019t had to serve time.
\nFor safety reasons, Sarkozy is expected to be incarcerated under conditions reserved for high-profile inmates, possibly in a special \u201cVIP area\u201d of La Sant\u00e9 prison, which is the only prison in Paris where some of France\u2019s most notorious criminals have been imprisoned.
\nOnce behind bars, Sarkozy will be able to file a release request to the appeals court. Judges will then have up to two months to process the request.
\nSarkozy was handed a five-year sentence on Sept. 25 in a sprawling legal case after a decade of investigation. The Paris court said the prison sentence was effective immediately instead of suspending it pending appeal, citing \u201cthe seriousness of the disruption to public order caused by the offense.\u201d Sarkozy was given 18 days after the ruling to \u201corganize his professional life\u201d before Monday\u2019s imprisonment decision.
\nThe French justice ministry said in 2024 that 90 percent of adults convicted and sentenced to at least two years in prison are immediately incarcerated.
\nThe court said Sarkozy, as a presidential candidate and interior minister, used his position \u201cto prepare corruption at the highest level\u201d from 2005 to 2007 to finance his presidential campaign with funds from Libya, then led by longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi.
\nThe court cleared Sarkozy of three other charges and said there is no evidence the money transferred from Libya to France ended up being used in Sarkozy\u2019s 2007 campaign or for his \u201cdirect personal enrichment.\u201d
\nSarkozy consistently has said he is innocent and the victim of a plot by people linked to the Libyan government. He suggested the allegations were retaliation for his call in 2011 for Qaddafi\u2019s removal. Qaddafi was toppled and killed amid Arab Spring pro-democracy protests that year.
\nAn appeal trial will take place at a later date, possibly in the spring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PARIS Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is set to learn Monday when and where he will serve time in prison for criminal conspiracy for a scheme to use funds from Libya to finance his winning 2007 campaign. The first ex-president in modern French history to be imprisoned, Sarkozy maintains his innocence and has protested the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":508495,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-508479","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n