Nicolas Sarkozy's lawyers will try to ensure his time in prison is as short as possible'

"We're going to make sure that his incarceration will be as short as possible, Sarkozy's lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois told the BFMTV news channel on Friday, after he became the first French president obliged to go to jail. Sarkozy, who was rightwing president from 2007 to 2012, has lodged an appeal against his conviction, but a special provision by judges means he must begin a jail term in the coming weeks, while any appeal process goes ahead."

"Henri Guaino, a Sarkozy ally who once served as his special adviser, told RTL radio Sarkozy's conviction was a humiliation for the state and its institutions and urged the centrist president, Emmanuel Macron, to pardon Sarkozy, so he could avoid prison. Macron has not commented on the conviction and sentence. Top figures in Sarkozy's rightwing Les Republicains party have sent messages of public support but, amid rising distrust of the political class, have stopped short of calling for any kind of pardon."

Nicolas Sarkozy received a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain election campaign funds from Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan regime. His lawyers say they will seek to minimize the length of his time in prison. An appeal has been lodged, yet a judicial provision requires him to begin serving a jail term in the coming weeks while the appeal proceeds. Allies called the conviction a humiliation and urged President Emmanuel Macron to grant a pardon, though Macron has not commented. Party figures expressed public support without demanding a pardon. Sarkozy has an October appointment to learn his incarceration date.

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