France: Sarkozy Learns the Details of His Imminent Imprisonment in the Libyan Case

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy learned on Monday the details of his impending imprisonment linked to the Libyan case, which had not been immediately disclosed, during his summons by the national financial prosecutor's office (PNF) at the Paris court.

Neither his lawyer Christophe Ingrain nor the PNF wished to comment when contacted by AFP.

On September 25, the correctional court of Paris found the former head of state guilty of conspiracy for allowing his close aides to solicit funding from Muammar Gaddafi's Libya for his successful 2007 presidential campaign. He was sentenced to five years in prison, with three years suspended.

Although he has appealed the ruling, Mr. Sarkozy, 70, will be imprisoned due to a deferred detention order "with provisional execution" issued against him. The court justified this measure by the "exceptional gravity of the facts" committed by a political leader aspiring to the highest office in the Republic.

Summoned by the PNF, Mr. Sarkozy arrived at the Paris judicial court around 1:45 PM local time in a car with tinted windows, leaving shortly before 2:30 PM without making any statement, as noted by AFP journalists.

Unlike the two other defendants in the case facing immediate detention, intermediary Alexandre Djouhri and banker Wahib Nacer, Mr. Sarkozy, who has always complied with judicial summons, has been granted a delay before his imprisonment to make professional arrangements.

The imprisonment is expected to occur within four months of this summons, but sources indicated to AFP that Mr. Sarkozy will likely be incarcerated in the "relatively near future" following the ruling.

The former champion of the French right will thus become the first former head of state from an EU country to serve time behind bars.

In principle, in the Paris region, inmates are assigned to penal institutions based on alphabetical distribution. However, for his security, the former president could be placed either in a "vulnerable section" (QPV) or in solitary confinement. In the Paris region, only two correctional facilities have a "vulnerable section": La Santé in Paris and Fleury-Mérogis, south of the capital.

• "Farewell Drink" -
  Upon entering prison, Mr. Sarkozy's defense can file a request for release before the appellate court, which has up to two months to rule on the request. If denied, Mr. Sarkozy may submit further requests.

Last Wednesday evening, according to a report by the French daily Le Figaro, he gathered about a hundred former collaborators, including the current Secretary General of the Elysée Emmanuel Moulin, for a "farewell drink."

Criticized by the right and far-right, Mr. Sarkozy's imprisonment before his appeal is deemed "just" by 61% of respondents, while 38% find it "unjust," according to a poll conducted in France at the end of September.

The seven defendants convicted in the Libyan case have appealed, as has the PNF. A new trial will take place in the coming months.

In the first instance, the court concluded that money flows originated from Libya, but the procedure did not prove that these funds reached Sarkozy's campaign coffers.

However, under French law, preparation alone suffices to establish the offense of conspiracy, even if the intended goal was not achieved.

Mr. Sarkozy is involved in several other cases. Notably, between February and May, he wore an electronic bracelet due to a final conviction of one year in prison in the so-called "wiretaps" case, where he was accused of corrupting a magistrate to obtain information about judicial investigations concerning him.

He has filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

AFP