🔗 Share this article The former French president Portrays Life in Prison as ‘Draining’ and ‘a Horrific Experience’ Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has stated that his time behind bars has been “gruelling” and a “horrific experience” as he appeared via remote connection at a court hearing regarding his petition to complete his jail term at home. Court Appearance from Behind Bars Sarkozy, wearing a dark blue attire, was visible on screen from jail on Monday, seated at a table with his lawyers 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 nightmare.” Background of the Legal Situation Sarkozy entered the correctional facility in Paris on 21 October, after receiving a five-year jail sentence for illegal collaboration over a scheme to obtain funds for his 2007 presidential election campaign from the government of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He has challenged 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 took its course. Unprecedented Importance The former leader, who was France’s rightwing president 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 be incarcerated. Personal Statement The former president told the court from prison: “I never had any idea or intention to ask Mr Gaddafi for any kind of financing … I will never confess to something I am innocent of … I could not have foreseen that at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s an ordeal that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s exhausting.” He said he would not attempt to enter into contact with any defendants or testifiers in the case. He said: “I’m French, I am patriotic, my family is in France. This ordeal has made them suffer a lot.” Legal Team Observations His legal representative Jean-Michel Darrois, positioned beside him in the prison video link room, stated: “Being in solitary confinement has been extremely difficult for him.” He said of Sarkozy: “He’s a resilient, durable and brave man and this detention has been very painful for him.” In court, another of Sarkozy’s lawyers, Christophe Ingrain, who had seen him daily, asserted Sarkozy would be safer out of prison than within. “He has faced death threats, has listened to shouts at night and the emergency response in a adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed,” he stated. Current Status The state prosecutor Damien Brunet asked that Sarkozy’s request for release be approved. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon. Prison Conditions The former president has been placed in isolation for his own security, in an private room of about 9 sq metres, with his own washing facility and restroom. Security personnel are stationed nearby to protect him. Reports suggested that he had been eating only yoghurt in prison as he feared any food might have been tampered with. He had been given the opportunity to cook for himself but declined the offer. Support from Outside Sarkozy’s social media account last week posted a video of piles of letters, postcards and packages it claimed had been sent to him, including a collage, a chocolate bar and a volume. “No letter will go unanswered,” his account announced. “The final chapter has not yet been determined.” Items in Prison The former leader brought with him a biography of Jesus as well as the classic novel, the famous work in which an innocent man is imprisoned but escapes to seek retribution. Court Case Particulars During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the state attorney had told the court that Sarkozy entered into a “Faustian pact of dishonesty 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 illegal scheme to obtain campaign finances from Libya. He was found not guilty of three distinct accusations of dishonesty, misuse of Libyan public funds and illegal election campaign funding. After the state prosecutor also challenged these not guilty verdicts, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the charges next year, including illegal collaboration. Prior Legal Issues Although the allegations of a clandestine financial agreement with the North African government formed the biggest corruption trial Sarkozy had encountered, he had already been convicted in two separate cases and stripped of France’s top honor, the Légion d’honneur. Sarkozy had previously become the first former French head of state forced to wear an monitoring device after being found guilty in a separate case of corruption and improper sway. In that situation, he was given a one-year jail term but was able to complete it with an electronic tag worn around the ankle. He wore the tag for a quarter year before being granted conditional release.