Sarkozy vows to face prison “head high,” plans to write book

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he is not afraid of going to prison, days before beginning a five-year sentence over his 2007 campaign financing case linked to Libya.

Sarkozy, 69, told La Tribune Dimanche he has already packed his bags and is ready to report to Paris’s Sante prison on October 21. “I am not afraid of prison. I will hold my head high, even in front of the gates of Sante,” he said, adding that he will not seek special privileges.

The former president said he does not wish to complain or be pitied and plans to spend his time in jail writing a book.

Libya funding case

Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, was convicted of criminal conspiracy for allegedly seeking campaign funds from the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Prosecutors said his aides channelled illicit cash donations to finance his 2007 victory campaign.

He has consistently denied the allegations and appealed the conviction, calling the case politically motivated.

The trial, which drew global attention, marked a rare moment in French history when a former head of state faced imprisonment for corruption.

Sarkozy has already served a separate one-year sentence under house arrest for illegal campaign spending in his failed 2012 re-election bid.

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