French authorities detained three prisoners accused of threatening to kill Nicolas Sarkozy as the Ex-President begins a five-year prison term for corruption.
French police have arrested three inmates at Paris’s La Santé Prison after a video surfaced showing prisoners shouting death threats at Nicolas Sarkozy, who is serving a five-year sentence for corruption and money laundering linked to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The arrests were confirmed by the Paris prosecutor’s office on Thursday October 23, 2025, just two days after Sarkozy began his term — marking the first time in modern French history that a head of state has been incarcerated.
“Three inmates at La Santé prison were taken into custody following threats made upon the arrival of Nicolas Sarkozy,” a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said. Authorities conducted searches of their cells, seizing two mobile phones as part of a formal investigation into “death threats.”
The video, shared widely on social media, showed inmates shouting, “We know everything, Sarko — give back the billions of dollars,” as Sarkozy was escorted into the facility. The footage quickly drew national outrage and renewed debate over security measures for high-profile prisoners.
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Following the incident, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez ordered two officers from the VIP Protection Service to be stationed in the cell adjacent to Sarkozy’s. They will remain there around the clock to ensure his safety, officials said.
Far-right politician Marine Le Pen condemned the incident, writing, “I have no doubt that some must be delighted by this situation. But I want to believe that millions of French people feel, like me, disgust.”
Sarkozy, 70, began serving his sentence on Tuesday October 21, 2025, after being convicted of accepting illicit funds from Gaddafi to finance his 2007 presidential campaign. He is being held in solitary confinement in a 29-square-foot cell with a bed, desk, shower, and television, according to prison officials.
His wife, singer Carla Bruni, has already visited him. Lawyers said the former president’s nights have been “frightening,” and his legal team has appealed the court’s decision. “Humanly, this is an extremely difficult ordeal,” his lawyer Christophe Ingrain told reporters.
Sarkozy faces multiple ongoing legal battles, including convictions for attempted bribery of a judge and illegal campaign financing. Meanwhile, Bruni is under investigation for her alleged involvement in “Operation Save Sarko,” a scheme allegedly aimed at preventing his imprisonment. Both deny any wrongdoing.
