In a special wing with 15 cells, dedicated to the security of specific, high-level, prisoners, he is “hosted” for as long as he remains in La Sante of . According to his lawyer, the former president will serve a sentence of three weeks to a month, as the petition filed by his lawyers and the appeal against the five-year sentence, following his conviction for corruption, are “running” since yesterday.
However, his first day as an inmate, beyond the difficulty of the situation itself, was not easy. In a video that has seen the light of day, one of his fellow prisoners records from his cell window where the former president is allegedly being held in solitary confinement and, pointing with his finger, says: “Sarkozy is right here. In the special isolation cell. He is alone in his cell. Just arrived, Tuesday, October 21, 2025 […] He will have a very bad time, since underneath is the prison ward, for discipline (mitard). We know everything.”
Immediately afterwards, shouting towards the window of Sarkozy’s cell, the prisoner is heard saying: “We will take revenge for Gaddafi. We know everything Sarko about Ziad Takientien. We know it all. Return the billions of dollars.”
🇫🇷 FLASH | Nicolas Sarkozy is already THREATENED in prison by an inmate: “We are going to avenge Gaddafi, we know everything, Sarko. Return the billions of dollars”.
— AlertesInfos (@AlertesInfos)
With two dedicated prison guards
However, two security officers have been installed in a cell next to that of the 70-year-old politician. These officers will be at his side 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will not let him out of their sight, “because of his position and the threats against him,” the Home Secretary explained.
Under normal circumstances, the former head of state has at his disposal “a security detachment, because of his position and the threats against him” and “this detachment was kept in prison,” Laurent Nunes told the news television network Cnews and radio station Europe 1.
Nicolas Sarkozy is “obviously a citizen like the others, but there are threats a little more important” against him as a former president of the Republic, Nunes explained.
“It is a decision aimed at ensuring his safety”, added Nunies “in addition, obviously, to all that is implemented by the prison administration”. This passage will remain in place “for as long as we consider it useful”, assured the minister.
The two police officers were activated following an assessment by the Anti-Terrorism Coordination Unit (UCLAT), a decision taken on Monday, following a meeting at the General Directorate of the National Police.
The director of the penitentiary, Sebastien Cowell, explained to RTL that the special regime will ensure both “the safety of Mr. Sarkozy and order in the institution.”
The isolation
Given the risks to his safety in the prison environment, Nicolas Sarkozy has also been placed in solitary confinement. Therefore, he is alone in his cell and accompanied by a guard whenever he goes out, especially in the visiting room. This regime will ensure both “the security of Mr. Sarkozy and order in the institution,” Cowell also explained.
His cell, according to sources in the French newspaper Le Parisien, has an area of 9 square meters and is equipped with a single bed, a desk bolted to the floor, a bedside table, a plastic chair, a television, a landline telephone, a toilet and shower, shelves, a cooking stove and a wooden frame. The window has iron bars, while its shielding allows little natural light.
He will be able to use a wall-mounted phone (for a fee) to call pre-arranged numbers, but his conversations may be recorded and he will not be able to receive calls. At the same time, he will have the right to use a small refrigerator, for which he will pay approximately 7.5 euros.
According to one of his lawyers, he will be entitled to “one hour of yard time a day, alone, in a fenced area”, unsupervised by other inmates, while Cowell said his walks will be “twice a day”.
At night, at regular intervals, a guard will turn on the light and check through the “eye” of the door.
Under the program, he will also have access to one of the isolation ward’s three exercise rooms on his own, as well as a small room that doubles as a library.
The rest of the time he will remain “locked in his cell” and, like all prisoners, he will have “three visits a week from his family”, while he will be able to see “his lawyers whenever he wishes”.
“He plans to spend his time writing, exercising as much as possible and receiving visits from his family and lawyers,” the lawyer said.
The morning meal consists of bread and jam, while, according to prison regulations, two other meals are provided during the day.
His meals will be served to him by a correctional officer and not, as is the case in the rest of La Sante’s wards, by another inmate.
“The goal is for him to never meet another inmate – not in the cell, not in the activity areas, not in the yard, not during visits,” Cowell added.
How did the first night go?
After the formal identification process and medical check-up at the prison’s health department, on Tuesday morning, Sarkozy was taken to his cell. He was given a package of linen, underwear, toilet paper, plates and cutlery, and during the first days his psychological condition is assessed.
“He is in a cell of 9 square meters, there is noise all the time”, commented his lawyer, after his first meeting at the visit with the former president, assuring that his client did not ask for and has not received any preferential treatment. “All the prisoners are making noise, shouting, banging on the walls (…) In principle, given the position he held, he should have a different status. He didn’t ask for it, he doesn’t have it,” he added.
He described a “difficult” first day for Sarkozy, which he nevertheless managed to “overcome”. “He trained, started writing his book (…) had a meeting with Carla Bruni. If he’s worried about anything, it’s his family,” he further explained.
The former French president has three books with him: Alexandre Dumas’s History of the Count of Montecristo in two volumes, a work that describes the unjust imprisonment of Pierre Pico, who vowed revenge after his release. The third book is the life of Jesus Christ.
