France opens probe into death threats against former president Sarkozy
French authorities have opened an investigation after former president Nicolas Sarkozy received death threats from an inmate at Paris’s La Santé prison. Sarkozy began serving his sentence there earlier this week, the Paris prosecutor’s office said, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
According to the statement released Wednesday, the investigation began after prison officials alerted prosecutors to a video circulating on social media. The footage, reportedly filmed by an inmate, contained threats directed at Sarkozy following his arrival at the facility on October 22.
Prosecutors confirmed that three inmates have been questioned in connection with the incident. Two mobile phones were confiscated during prison searches as part of the inquiry.
Sarkozy, who served as president of France from 2007 to 2012, began serving a five-year prison sentence on Tuesday after being convicted of illegally seeking campaign funds from Libya.
Officials have assigned two armed police officers to protect Sarkozy during his incarceration — a move that has prompted concern among some prison staff unions over security arrangements at the facility.
La Santé prison, one of France’s oldest detention centers, has previously housed several high-profile inmates. The investigation into the threats remains ongoing.
