🔗 Share this article The former French president Portrays Existence in Prison as ‘Draining’ and ‘a Horrific Experience’ Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has stated that his stay in prison has been “draining” and an “ordeal” as he was present via video link at a court hearing regarding his application to serve his sentence at home. Legal Proceeding from Behind Bars Sarkozy, wearing a dark blue attire, appeared on camera from prison on Monday, positioned at a desk with his legal representatives beside him. He told the court: “I want to pay tribute to all the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who have eased this difficult situation – because it is a nightmare.” Context of the Case Sarkozy was admitted to La Santé prison in Paris on 21 October, after being handed a half-decade imprisonment for illegal collaboration over a plan to secure financing for his election bid from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He has challenged the verdict, but judges ruled that because of the “serious nature” of his conviction, 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 initial ex-leader of an EU country to be imprisoned in prison, and the initial leader since WWII to go behind bars. Emotional Testimony The former president told the court from prison: “I was completely unaware or desire 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 70 years of age, I’d be in prison. It’s an challenge that has been imposed on me. I admit it’s difficult, it’s extremely challenging. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.” He stated he would not try to communicate with any accused individuals or witnesses in the case. He said: “I’m French, I am patriotic, my family is in France. This ordeal has caused them pain a lot.” Defense Lawyers Comments His legal representative Jean-Michel Darrois, sitting next to him in the prison video link room, said: “Being in solitary confinement has been extremely difficult for him.” He said of Sarkozy: “He’s a resilient, robust and brave man and this imprisonment has caused him great suffering.” In court, another of Sarkozy’s lawyers, Christophe Ingrain, who had seen him daily, said Sarkozy would be more secure outside jail than inside. “He has received threats against his life, has listened to shouts at night and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner self-harmed,” he said. Current Status The state prosecutor Damien Brunet asked that Sarkozy’s petition for freedom be granted. The court will reveal its ruling on Monday afternoon. Incarceration Details The former president has been held in solitary confinement for his own safety, in an individual cell of about 9 sq metres, with his own washing facility and toilet. Security personnel are occupying a neighbouring cell to protect him. Reports suggested that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he was concerned any food might have been tampered with. He had been offered the facilities to cook for himself but refused this. Encouragement from the Public His online presence last week shared a recording of piles of letters, cards and parcels it claimed had been sent to him, including a collage, a sweet treat and a book. “No letter will go without a response,” his account announced. “The end of the story has not yet been written.” Personal Belongings Sarkozy took into prison a life story of Christ as well as The Count of Monte Cristo, the famous work in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but escapes to take revenge. Legal Proceedings Details During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the public prosecutor had told the court that Sarkozy engaged in a “Faustian pact of dishonesty with one of the worst rulers of the last 30 years. Sarkozy denied wrongdoing and said he had not been involved in a criminal conspiracy to seek election funding from Libya. He was found not guilty of three separate charges of corruption, misuse of Libyan public funds and unlawful political financing. After the public attorney also appealed against these acquittals, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the charges next year, including criminal conspiracy. Previous Convictions Although the allegations of a clandestine financial agreement with the Libyan regime formed the most significant legal case Sarkozy had encountered, he had already been convicted in two separate cases and stripped of France’s top honor, the national recognition. The former president had previously become the initial ex-leader forced to wear an electronic tag after being found guilty in a different matter of dishonesty and improper sway. In that case, he was given a one-year jail term but was able to complete it with an ankle monitor worn around the ankle. He wore the tag for three months before being allowed limited freedom.