Following the conviction of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy for attempting to obtain illegal campaign funds from Libya, attention has now turned to where he will serve his sentence. Although French authorities have yet to make a formal decision, judicial sources say Sarkozy is most likely to be sent to La Santé prison in Paris. The maximum security facility is one of the most notorious in France, having once held such notorious figures as left-wing militant Carlos “The Jackal” and former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.
According to Wilfried Fonck, a representative of the prison guards' union, this prison is "the most suitable for a profile like Sarkozy." He explains that La Santé has a special ward for "sensitive characters," known as the "VIP ward," where other politicians have also been held, including Sarkozy's former close aide, Claude Guéant, also sentenced this week.
In this unit, prisoners are held in individual cells, instead of three-person cells, and are only allowed out for activities in the yard for security reasons. Otherwise, conditions are the same as the rest of the prison, with cells ranging from 9 to 12 square meters.
Julien Fischmeister, representative of the International Prison Observatory in France, said that La Santé has recently been renovated and offers better conditions than many other similar institutions. After the renovation, each cell has an indoor shower, while prisoners have access to pay TV (14 euros per month) and a landline phone.
Food is served directly in the cell, but there is also the possibility for prisoners to buy products to cook for themselves.
"We don't wish prison on anyone, but it's important to emphasize that for a rare time, a figure from a social stratum that usually escapes prison will this time experience it," Fischmeister said.
For Sarkozy, the experience is expected to be difficult. During his term, he was known for his tough approach to crime and his strong statements, once describing violent youth from the suburbs as “trash” and threatening to remove them with heavy police force. However, like most French prisons, La Santé is also facing overcrowding. According to the Justice Ministry, in August it had 1,243 prisoners, although its official capacity is only 657 places.
