Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday, began his 5-year sentence, marking the first time a former leader of modern France has spent time behind bars.
Sarkozy was driven to the prison complex on Tuesday morning, waving to his supporters as he left his house.
The car driving him was surrounded by dozens of police motorbikes and vehicles, making its way to La Santé Prison in southern Paris.
Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy last month, for his role in a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favors.
The former president, who left office in 2012, has appealed his conviction but in the meantime is expected to occupy a cell either in solitary confinement or in the so-called “VIP wing” of La Santé prison complex.
That wing is usually reserved for prisoners who are considered unsuitable to be kept among the prison’s general population, usually out of fears for their safety.
They could be politicians, former police officers, members of far-right organizations or those tied to Islamist terror groups, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.
Cells in the wing are fitted with a metal bed and mattress, a small desk, a fridge, a cooking hob, a television, a shower, toilet and sink, and a fixed telephone line allowing prisoners to call certain authorized numbers.
Previous inmates include Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama who was held there following his extradition from the United States after the American invasion that deposed him.
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