When Nicolas Sarkozy swept to power in 2007, he promised to modernise France — fast. He married a supermodel, courted the cameras, and ruled with restless energy. But now, the man once dubbed “le président bling-bling” has swapped the Élysée Palace for a prison cell.

The former French president has begun serving a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy, related to illegal campaign financing with links to Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya — a case that’s transfixed France and divided public opinion. Some see it as justice finally catching up with the powerful. Others see political vengeance dressed as rule of law.

On today’s podcast, Shane Beatty speaks with French journalist and broadcaster Agnès Poirier about how Sarkozy’s rise and fall mirror France’s uneasy dance between grandeur and scandal. Why do the French hold their leaders to certain standards while overlooking others? How did Sarkozy’s celebrity-style presidency rewrite the script for political power? And what does his imprisonment say about France’s democracy today?

From the glamour of Carla Bruni to the gravity of corruption charges, this is a story of love, legacy, and the limits of power.

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