Nicolas Sarkozy Portrays Life in Prison as ‘Draining’ and ‘a Nightmare’
Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has stated that his time behind bars has been “draining” 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 Prison
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 commend all the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who have made this nightmare bearable – because it is a horrific experience.”
Context of the Legal Situation
The former president was admitted to the correctional facility 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 appealed against the verdict, but judges ruled that because of the “exceptional gravity” of his guilty verdict, he had to be incarcerated while the appeals process proceeded.
Unprecedented Importance
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 initial leader since WWII to go behind bars.
Emotional Testimony
The former president told the court from prison: “I was completely unaware or intention to ask Mr Gaddafi for any kind of financing … I will not admit 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 ordeal that has been forced upon me. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. 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 declared: “I’m French, I am patriotic, my family is in France. This ordeal has made them suffer a lot.”
Legal Team Observations
Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, sitting next to him in the prison video link room, said: “Being in isolation has been extremely difficult for him.” He said of Sarkozy: “He’s a resilient, durable and brave man and this detention has caused him great suffering.”
In court, a different legal representative, Christophe Ingrain, who had seen him daily, said Sarkozy would be safer outside jail than inside. “He has faced death threats, has listened to shouts at night and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner injured themselves,” he said.
Present Situation
The public attorney Damien Brunet requested that Sarkozy’s request for release be approved. The court will reveal its ruling on Monday afternoon.
Prison Conditions
The former president has been placed in isolation for his own security, in an individual cell of about 97 square feet, with his own washing facility and restroom. Security personnel are stationed nearby to ensure his safety.
Reports indicated that he had been eating only yoghurt in prison as he feared any food might have been contaminated. He had been given the opportunity to cook for himself but declined the offer.
Encouragement from Outside
His online presence last week posted a video of piles of letters, postcards and parcels it said had been sent to him, including a collection, a chocolate bar and a book. “No letter will go unanswered,” his account declared. “The final chapter has not yet been determined.”
Personal Belongings
The former leader brought with him a biography of Jesus as well as the classic novel, the famous work 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 “corrupt agreement” of dishonesty with one of the most unspeakable dictators of the last 30 years.
The accused maintained his innocence and stated he had not been involved in a criminal conspiracy to obtain campaign finances from Libya.
He was found not guilty of three distinct accusations of dishonesty, misuse of Libyan public funds and unlawful political financing. After the state prosecutor also challenged these not guilty verdicts, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the charges next year, including criminal conspiracy.
Prior Legal Issues
Although the claims of a secret campaign funding pact with the North African government formed the most significant legal case Sarkozy had encountered, he had already been convicted in two separate cases and lost France’s highest distinction, the Légion d’honneur.
The former president 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 one-year jail term but was able to complete it with an electronic tag attached to his leg. He had the device for a quarter year before being allowed limited freedom.
