🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy Describes Existence in Prison as ‘Gruelling’ and ‘an Ordeal’ The former French president has asserted that his period of incarceration has been “draining” and an “ordeal” as he appeared via remote connection at a court hearing regarding his petition to complete his jail term at home. Legal Proceeding from Behind Bars Sarkozy, wearing a dark blue attire, appeared on camera from jail on Monday, seated at a table with his legal representatives beside him. He informed the judges: “I want to commend all the correctional officers, who are remarkably compassionate, and who have made this nightmare bearable – because it is a horrific experience.” Context of the Legal Situation Sarkozy was admitted to La Santé prison in Paris on 21 October, after being handed a half-decade imprisonment for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain funds for his 2007 presidential election campaign from the government of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He has appealed against the ruling, but judges ruled that because of the “serious nature” of his guilty verdict, he had to be incarcerated while the appeals process took its course. Unprecedented Significance Sarkozy, who was France’s conservative leader between 2007 and 2012, is the first former head of an EU country to serve time in prison, and the first French postwar leader to go behind bars. Emotional Testimony Sarkozy stated to the judges from prison: “I was completely unaware or intention to ask Mr Gaddafi for any kind of financing … I will never confess to something I am innocent of … I never imagined that at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s an challenge that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s difficult, it’s extremely challenging. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.” He stated he would not attempt to enter into contact with any defendants or witnesses in the case. He said: “I’m French, I love my country, my family is in France. This situation has made them suffer a lot.” Defense Lawyers Observations Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, positioned beside him in the prison video link room, stated: “Being in solitary confinement has been extremely difficult for him.” He commented on Sarkozy: “He’s a resilient, durable and courageous man and this imprisonment has been very painful for him.” In court, a different legal representative, Christophe Ingrain, who had visited him every day, asserted Sarkozy would be safer out of prison than within. “He has faced death threats, has listened to shouts at night and the urgent intervention in a adjacent room when a prisoner injured themselves,” he said. Present Situation The public attorney Damien Brunet requested that Sarkozy’s petition for freedom be approved. The court will reveal its ruling on Monday afternoon. Prison Conditions Sarkozy has been held in solitary confinement for his own safety, in an private room of about 9 sq metres, with his own shower and restroom. Security personnel are occupying a neighbouring cell to ensure his safety. Accounts indicated that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he feared any meal might have been tampered with. He had been offered the facilities to prepare his own meals but refused this. Encouragement from the Public Sarkozy’s social media account last week shared a video of numerous correspondences, postcards and parcels it claimed had been delivered to his attention, including a collage, a sweet treat and a book. “No letter will go without a response,” his account declared. “The end of the story has not yet been determined.” Items in Prison The former leader took into prison a biography of Jesus as well as the classic novel, Alexandre Dumas’s novel in which an wrongly accused individual is imprisoned but breaks out to seek retribution. Legal Proceedings Details During the lengthy court case, the state attorney had told the court that Sarkozy entered into a “Faustian pact of dishonesty with one of the worst rulers of the last three decades. Sarkozy maintained his innocence and said he had not been involved in a criminal conspiracy to seek election funding from Libya. He was found not guilty of three distinct accusations of corruption, improper handling of state money and illegal election campaign funding. After the public attorney also appealed against these acquittals, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the accusations next year, including illegal collaboration. Prior Legal Issues Although the claims of a clandestine financial agreement with the North African government formed the most significant legal case Sarkozy had encountered, he had already been found guilty in two different proceedings and stripped of France’s highest distinction, the national recognition. Sarkozy had previously become the first former French head of state forced to wear an monitoring device after being convicted in a different matter of dishonesty and influence peddling. In that case, he was given a 12-month sentence but was able to complete it with an ankle monitor attached to his leg. He had the device for three months before being granted conditional release.