Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Gavin Grey: UK/Europe Correspondent on Nicolas Sarkozy becoming the first French ex-president to go to jail

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Gavin Grey: UK/Europe Correspondent on Nicolas Sarkozy becoming the first French ex-president to go to jail · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

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  Speaker 1: Devin gray are UK euro correspondent, given extraordinary scenes.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Ryan, Yes, he becomes the first French ex president to
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: go to jail. He's starting a five year sentence for
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: conspiring to fund his election campaign with money from the
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: late Libyan dictator Mohamaga Daffi. He denies this. Nevertheless, he
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: has been sentenced to this time behind bars. And the
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  Speaker 2: last French leader of a political party was sentenced eighty
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  Speaker 2: years ago to prison. That was for treason for being
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  Speaker 2: a collaborator during World War Two. So this is a
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  Speaker 2: really really monumental moment. Sarkas he was president from two
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  Speaker 2: thousand and seven to twenty twelve, and as I said,
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  Speaker 2: he has appeared against his jail term. But it's going
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  Speaker 2: to be pretty tough in there. The Montpasse district south
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  Speaker 2: of the River Seine, which is where this nineteenth century
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  Speaker 2: prison is, it's notoriously overcrowded. He'll be in isolation in
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  Speaker 2: a cell that's roughly nine to eleven square meters and
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  Speaker 2: he will in that have a desk, a shower, a toilet,
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  Speaker 2: a small electric hob and a small fridge. But this
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  Speaker 2: is a huge comedown for the former president and allowed
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  Speaker 2: just one hour a day for exercise. It seems really
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  Speaker 2: pretty tough. Indeed so tough that at the end of
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  Speaker 2: the last week, Sarkas was received at the Elisee Palace
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  Speaker 2: by President Emmanuel Macron. He wouldn't comment on what had
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  Speaker 2: happened to one of his predecessors, but he said, you know,
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  Speaker 2: as a former president, he's entitled to come. And in
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  Speaker 2: another show of support for the ex president, the Justice
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  Speaker 2: Minister said he would go to visit him in prison
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  Speaker 2: as part of his role in ensuring his safety and
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  Speaker 2: the proper functioning of the jail. Safety a big issue.
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  Speaker 2: There are some terrorists in the prison and there are
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  Speaker 2: also some very very heavy criminals. Shall I phrase it
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  Speaker 2: that way?
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  Speaker 1: It's all about Messi over there, isn't that the politicians
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  Speaker 1: and their brushes with the Lord Because Lapina is still bad,
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  Speaker 1: isn't she from running for president over there? Yes?
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: Yes, that could change.
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  Speaker 1: Kevin Gray are UK you're a correspondent. For more from
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to news Talks
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: it'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.