🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy Characterizes Life in Prison as ‘Exhausting’ and ‘an Ordeal’ Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has declared that his stay in prison has been “exhausting” and a “nightmare” as he appeared via video link at a court hearing regarding his petition to complete his jail term at home. Legal Proceeding from Behind Bars The former leader, dressed in a dark blue attire, was visible on screen from jail on Monday, seated at a table with his legal representatives beside him. He informed the judges: “I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, who are remarkably compassionate, and who have made this nightmare bearable – because it is a horrific experience.” Context of the Case Sarkozy was admitted to the correctional facility in Paris on 21 October, after receiving a five-year jail sentence for illegal collaboration over a scheme to secure financing for his election bid from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He has appealed against the verdict, but the court ruled that because of the “serious nature” of his guilty verdict, he had to be incarcerated while the appeals process proceeded. Historical Significance The former leader, who was France’s rightwing president between 2007 and 2012, is the initial ex-leader of an EU country to be imprisoned in prison, and the first French postwar leader to be incarcerated. Personal Statement Sarkozy told the court from prison: “I was completely unaware or intention to ask Mr Gaddafi for any kind of financing … I will never confess to something I didn’t do … I could not have foreseen 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 very hard. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s exhausting.” He said he would not attempt to enter into contact with any accused individuals or testifiers in the case. He declared: “I’m French, I am patriotic, my family is in France. This situation has caused them pain a lot.” Defense Lawyers Observations Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, sitting next to him in the prison video link room, stated: “Being in isolation has been extremely difficult for him.” He said of Sarkozy: “He’s a strong, durable and brave man and this imprisonment has caused him great suffering.” In court, a different legal representative, Christophe Ingrain, who had seen him daily, said Sarkozy would be safer out of prison than inside. “He has received threats against his life, has heard screaming at night and the urgent intervention in a adjacent room when a prisoner injured themselves,” he stated. Current Status The state prosecutor Damien Brunet requested that Sarkozy’s petition for freedom be approved. The court will reveal its ruling on Monday afternoon. Incarceration Details Sarkozy has been placed in isolation for his own security, in an individual cell of about 97 square feet, with his own shower and restroom. Security personnel are stationed nearby to ensure his safety. Accounts indicated that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he feared any food might have been contaminated. He had been given the opportunity to prepare his own meals but refused this. Encouragement from the Public His online presence last week posted a video of piles of letters, postcards and packages it said had been delivered to his attention, including a collection, a sweet treat and a book. “No correspondence will go unanswered,” his account announced. “The final chapter has not yet been determined.” Personal Belongings 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 sentenced to jail but escapes to take revenge. Legal Proceedings Details During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the state attorney had told the court that Sarkozy engaged in a “Faustian pact of corruption with one of the most unspeakable dictators of the last three decades. The accused maintained his innocence and stated he had not been involved in a criminal conspiracy to obtain campaign finances from Libya. He was acquitted of three distinct accusations of dishonesty, improper handling of state money and unlawful political financing. After the state prosecutor also challenged these not guilty verdicts, Sarkozy will be re-tried on all the charges next year, including illegal collaboration. Previous Convictions Although the claims of a secret campaign funding pact with the Libyan regime formed the biggest corruption trial Sarkozy had faced, he had already been found guilty in two different proceedings and lost France’s top honor, the national recognition. Sarkozy had previously become the first former French head of state forced to wear an monitoring device after being found guilty in a different matter of corruption and influence peddling. In that situation, he was given a 12-month sentence but was able to complete it with an electronic tag attached to his leg. He had the device for three months before being granted conditional release.