Sarkozy's Stunning Downfall: First Ex-French President to Serve Jail Time

Nicolas Sarkozy, former president of France, begins his five-year prison sentence for conspiracy linked to Libyan campaign funds. Sarkozy, defiant yet acquitted of using funds, faces modern prison conditions with books in tow. This marks a shift in French justice system's approach to political corruption.

In an unprecedented move, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy began a five-year prison sentence on Tuesday, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the once-prominent world leader. Sarkozy, who governed France from 2007 to 2012, was convicted of conspiring to unlawfully raise campaign funds from Libya.

This sentence makes Sarkozy the first former French president to be jailed since Philippe Pétain after World War II. Sarkozy, though acquitted of personally using these illicit funds, has maintained his innocence throughout the legal processes, denouncing the case as politically motivated.

Sarkozy's imprisonment reflects a significant shift in France's legal landscape with harsher measures against white-collar crime. This development has been met with mixed reactions, evoking strong responses from political allies and the far right, while a majority of the public perceives the verdict as impartial.

(With inputs from agencies.)