Former French president faces death threats in prison — Reuters
Photo: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy (Getty Images)
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who recently began serving a five-year prison sentence, has received death threats from an inmate, Reuters reports.
On October 21, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived at the prison where he will serve his sentence. On October 22, the Paris prosecutor's office announced that he could face death behind bars.
The day before, the management of La Santé prison reported on a video that was circulating on social media and was probably filmed by one of the inmates. In the recording, the person threatened Sarkozy after he arrived at the facility.
Three inmates were questioned as part of the investigation, and two mobile phones were seized during a search of the prison.
For the former president's safety, he was assigned two armed police guards, which caused concern among prison workers' unions.
Nicolas Sarkozy was president of France from 2007 to 2012 and is now serving a sentence for criminal conspiracy related to the collection of campaign funds with the involvement of Libya.
Sarkozy's sentence
On September 25, a Paris court sentenced Nicolas Sarkozy to 5 years in prison, one of which is suspended. This is the first time in modern French history that a former head of state has been sent to prison.
Investigators found that he allegedly received significant funds from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for his election campaign in 2005-2007. Sarkozy was found not guilty on other charges in the case, including embezzlement of public funds, passive corruption, and violation of election campaign financing rules.
The 70-year-old former president denied all charges throughout the trial, so the case dragged on for years, with witness examinations, analysis of bank transactions, and documents.
