🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy Characterizes Life in Jail as ‘Exhausting’ and ‘a Horrific Experience’ The former French president has declared that his period of incarceration has been “draining” and a “nightmare” as he appeared via remote connection at a court hearing regarding his petition to serve his sentence at home. Legal Proceeding from Behind Bars The former leader, dressed in a dark blue attire, appeared on camera from prison on Monday, seated at a table with his lawyers beside him. He told the court: “I want to commend all the prison staff, who are exceptionally humane, and who have made this nightmare bearable – because it is a nightmare.” Context of the Case The former president entered La Santé prison in Paris on 21 October, after being handed a five-year jail sentence for illegal collaboration over a scheme to obtain funds for his election bid from the government 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 conviction, he had to go to prison while the legal challenge proceeded. Historical Significance The former leader, who served as France’s conservative leader between 2007 and 2012, is the first former head of an EU country to serve time in prison, and the initial leader since WWII 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 not admit 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 challenge that has been forced upon me. I admit it’s hard, it’s very hard. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s exhausting.” He stated he would not attempt to enter into contact with any accused individuals or testifiers in the case. He said: “I’m French, I am patriotic, my family is in France. This situation has made them suffer a lot.” Legal Team Observations His legal representative Jean-Michel Darrois, sitting next to him in the prison video link room, said: “Being in isolation has been very hard for him.” He commented on Sarkozy: “He’s a strong, durable and courageous man and this detention has been very painful for him.” In court, another of Sarkozy’s lawyers, Christophe Ingrain, who had visited him every day, asserted Sarkozy would be more secure outside jail than within. “He has received threats against his life, has listened to shouts at night and the emergency response in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner self-harmed,” he said. Current Status The public attorney Damien Brunet asked that Sarkozy’s request for release be granted. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon. Incarceration Details The former president has been held in solitary confinement for his own security, in an private room of about 97 square feet, with his own washing facility and toilet. Two bodyguards are stationed nearby to ensure his safety. Reports suggested that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he was concerned any meal might have been tampered with. He had been given the opportunity to prepare his own meals but refused this. Encouragement from Outside His online presence last week posted a video of numerous correspondences, postcards and parcels it said had been sent to him, including a collage, a chocolate bar and a book. “No letter will go without a response,” his account announced. “The end of the story has not yet been determined.” Items in Prison Sarkozy brought with him a life story of Christ as well as The Count of Monte Cristo, the famous work in which an wrongly accused individual is sentenced to jail but breaks out to take revenge. Court Case Particulars During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the public prosecutor had told the court that Sarkozy entered into a “Faustian pact of corruption with one of the most unspeakable dictators of the last 30 years. The accused denied wrongdoing and said he had not been part of a illegal scheme to obtain campaign finances from Libya. He was found not guilty of three separate charges of dishonesty, improper handling of state money and unlawful political financing. After the state prosecutor also challenged these acquittals, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the charges next year, including criminal conspiracy. Previous Convictions Although the claims of a clandestine financial agreement with the North African government formed the biggest corruption trial Sarkozy had faced, he had already been found guilty in two separate cases and stripped of France’s top honor, the national recognition. Sarkozy had previously become the initial ex-leader forced to wear an electronic tag after being convicted in a separate case of corruption and influence peddling. 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 had the device for a quarter year before being granted conditional release.