Copyright dailystar
The former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been snapped hugging his supermodel wife before heading to prison in France. Sarkozy is due to start a five-year sentence today after a court in Paris found him guilty last month on a key charge in his trial for alleged illegal campaign financing by the government of then-Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The court found Sarkozy guilty of criminal association in a plot from 2005 to 2007 to finance his campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favours. But it cleared him of three other charges - including passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and concealment of the embezzlement of public funds. At 9:45am Paris time, Sarkozy entered La Santé Prison, one of the three main prisons of the Paris area, where he will reside for the next few years. Inmates were reportedly heard shouting 'Oh bienvenue Sarkozy!' ('Oh welcome Sarkozy!) and 'Y a Sarkozy!' ('There's Sarkozy!') from their prison cells, as the former French president arrived. Sarkozy's imprisonment marks the first time in history that a former French president will serve time behind bars. As he left his home in western Paris, Sarkozy was accompanied by his wife, former supermodel Carla Bruni, as he made his way to prison to meet the 10:00am deadline to surrender. The 70-year-old took to his social medial before surrendering to proclaim that he is 'an innocent man' being 'locked up', and he promised his supporters that 'the truth will prevail'. He further added that 'the price to pay will have been crushing', just an hour before his scheduled incarceration. Sarkozy also wrote that he feels 'deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by an act of vengeance that has brought hatred to an unprecedented level.' Other members of the Sarkozy family were seen together on the streets of Paris this morning, including his sons Louis, Jean, and Pierre Sarkozy, as well as his and Carla Bruni’s 14-year-old daughter, Giulia Sarkozy. In recent months, Giulia has gone viral on TikTok, sharing glimpses of her lavish lifestyle, including beauty treatments like manicures and eyelash extensions. Last weekend, the teenager was also seen partying with friends, appearing to celebrate with bottles that were believed to contain alcohol.
