<h1>Former president sentenced to five years, ordered into immediate detention despite appeal; provisional release only post-incarceration</h1> A former president convicted of criminal conspiracy for illicitly financing a 2007 election campaign with foreign funds was sentenced to five years' imprisonment and is set to begin serving the term immediately, notwithstanding an outstanding appeal; a judge ordered immediate detention citing the offense's serious disruption to public order. The convict denies wrongdoing and may be held in solitary or in a designated 'vulnerable/VIP' wing at La Santé prison. Under the ruling, a request for provisional release can only be filed after incarceration, and the appeals court will have up to two months to decide on such a request.