Ex-French President Sarkozy Assigned 2 Bodyguards To Protect Him In Prison

Sarkozy’s Prison Protection: Two Bodyguards Inside His Cell

The former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been assigned two security officers to serve as his bodyguards while he serves a five-year prison sentence. The confirmation came directly from France’s interior minister, who stated that the unusual security arrangement was necessary due to the former head of state’s status and the threats against him. This development has sparked strong reactions from within the prison system.

According to AFP, the right-wing leader, who was in power from 2007 to 2012, was incarcerated on Tuesday, 21 October 2025, at La Santé prison in Paris. He was found guilty last month in a criminal conspiracy case involving the seeking of funding for his 2007 election campaign from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Unprecedented Security Measures Revealed

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez provided the details of the security plan in an interview with local media. He explained that the protection was a continuation of the arrangement Sarkozy benefited from while free.

“The former head of state would usually benefit from a protection arrangement given his status and the threats against him,” Nunez said, confirming that the measure “has indeed been maintained in detention.”

Sources close to the matter told AFP that the two security officers are stationed in a neighbouring cell to the former president. This confirms the highly unusual nature of his detention, where his personal safety is being managed by his own protection detail from inside the prison walls.

Prison Staff Voice Their Displeasure

The presence of the bodyguards has not been well received by representatives of the prison service. Wilfried Fonck, the head of the UFAP UNSa Justice union, gave a fiery interview to RTL radio, calling the situation an insult to the profession of prison wardens.

“They’re basically telling us we don’t know how to do our jobs,” Fonck stated.

He expressed further frustration about the logistics, saying:

“Today we have two civilians inside a prison who shouldn’t be there, and who don’t know how the system works. I’ve never seen anything like it in 25 years on the job.”

Life Inside La Santé Prison

Prison staff provided AFP with details of Sarkozy’s living conditions. The former president is being held in the prison’s solitary confinement wing. His cell is reported to be nine square metres (95 square feet) in size. This measure is intended to avoid any contact with other prisoners for security reasons.

In solitary confinement, his routine is severely restricted. He is allowed one walk per day, alone, in a small yard. He will also be permitted visits three times a week. Sarkozy’s legal team has requested his release pending his appeal trial, but they have stated they expect him to remain in jail for at least “three weeks to a month.”

His imprisonment marks a significant moment in modern French history, as he is the first former French leader to be incarcerated since Philippe Petain in the aftermath of World War II.