Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is scheduled to report to La Santé prison in Paris on November 21 to begin serving his sentence. The Paris Court convicted him last month to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy related to former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Historical Significance and Prison Details
Sarkozy’s case is the first in the history of the European Union where a former head of state has been imprisoned for corruption. He will be held in a specialized “VIP prisoner” area of the La Santé prison.
Although originally built in 1867, the prison underwent a complete renovation in 2019. The so-called VIP cells are approximately 10 square meters—the same size as regular cells—but the high-profile inmates do not share them with others. They include a kitchen area, a television, a bed, a toilet, and a separate telephone line for designated numbers, making them resemble a non-luxury hotel room more than a typical cell. Past inmates at La Santé include figures like Carlos the Jackal and former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.
