Social media circulated video clips, one of which is believed to have been filmed by a prisoner, showing the sounds of inmates chanting at night, directing insults and threats upon his arrival at the prison, according to Western media outlets. A prison search operation resulted in the confiscation of two mobile phones, while three inmates were questioned as part of the investigation, according to Western media reports.
Sarkozy was convicted of conspiring with close associates to orchestrate a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign. However, he was acquitted of personally receiving or using the funds for private purposes, continuously denying any wrongdoing.
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, becomes the first former French president to enter prison since World War II, following Marshal Philippe Pétain, who was convicted of collaborating with the Nazi regime.
On September 25, a Paris court sentenced Sarkozy, aged 70, to five years in prison for financing his 2007 election campaign. The investigation began in 2012 after a French investigative newspaper published documents indicating that the Libyan authorities had transferred 50 million euros ($58 million) for Sarkozy’s presidential campaign.
