The 70-year-old 23rd President of the French Republic enjoys privileges in prison that other prisoners do not. According to RTL Info, the imprisoned Sarkozy's greatest privilege is that he can receive four visits a week from his family members in prison, while the relevant legislation allows prisoners to receive visits from relatives only three times a week.
Also, the visiting hours of the former resident of the Élysée Palace by his relatives last much longer than the 45 minutes stipulated by the relevant legislation. French media report that Sarkozy's preferential treatment is due to his status as former president of the French Fifth Republic, due to which he also enjoys the protection of two armed police officers, who are changed every 12 hours, to ensure the former president's safety.
Sarkozy is in solitary confinement for security reasons and has no contact with other prisoners, but he eats the same food as other prisoners, his lawyers said last week. What worries Sarkozy inside the prison is his safety, as on the second day of his detention, a video posted on social media shows the former president receiving verbal threats upon his arrival at the prison. Of the fifteen cells in solitary confinement, four have been allocated to Sarkozy. One in which he is being held, one for the police officers responsible for his security, while two cells next to it remain empty.
Last week, Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni, visited him four times, outside regular visiting hours, each time accompanied by a member of the prison administration. According to information from the Journal du dimanche (JDD), two deputies from the France Indépendant party, Danielle Obono and Hugo Bernalissi, went to La Santé prison on Monday afternoon to visit Sarkozy. However, their request was rejected, as the law allows deputies to visit prisons, but not prisoners.
Sarkozy's lawyers, Christophe Angrand and Jean-Michel Darois, visit him daily in prison and have already filed a request for parole, which is expected to be considered within the next month. According to his lawyers, the former Elysee resident is likely to be released by Christmas.
