Nicolas Sarkozy Portrays Existence in Prison as ‘Gruelling’ and ‘a Horrific Experience’
Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has declared that his period of incarceration has been “gruelling” and an “ordeal” as he was present via video link at a judicial proceeding regarding his request to serve his sentence at home.
Court Appearance from Behind Bars
The former leader, wearing a dark blue attire, appeared on camera from prison on Monday, positioned at a desk with his legal representatives beside him. He informed the judges: “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.”
Background of the Legal Situation
The former president was admitted to La Santé prison 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 government of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
He has appealed against the verdict, but judges ruled that because of the “exceptional gravity” of his conviction, he had to go to prison while the legal challenge proceeded.
Unprecedented Significance
The former leader, 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 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 challenge that has been imposed on me. I admit it’s difficult, it’s extremely challenging. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”
He stated he would not try to communicate with any accused individuals or testifiers 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
His legal representative Jean-Michel Darrois, positioned beside him in the remote connection facility, said: “Being in isolation has been extremely difficult for him.” He commented on Sarkozy: “He’s a resilient, robust and courageous man and this detention has caused him great suffering.”
In court, another of Sarkozy’s lawyers, Christophe Ingrain, who had visited him every day, said Sarkozy would be more secure outside jail than inside. “He has faced death threats, has heard screaming at night and the emergency response in a adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed,” he said.
Current Status
The public attorney Damien Brunet requested that Sarkozy’s petition for freedom be granted. The court will reveal its ruling on Monday afternoon.
Incarceration Details
Sarkozy has been placed in isolation for his own safety, in an private room of about 9 sq metres, with his own washing facility and restroom. Two bodyguards are stationed nearby to protect him.
Accounts indicated that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he feared any meal might have been contaminated. He had been given the opportunity to prepare his own meals but declined the offer.
Support from Outside
His online presence last week posted a recording of numerous correspondences, postcards and packages it said had been delivered to his attention, including a collage, a sweet treat and a volume. “No correspondence will go without a response,” his account declared. “The end of the story has not yet been determined.”
Personal Belongings
The former leader took into prison a life story of Christ as well as The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas’s novel in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but breaks out to take revenge.
Legal Proceedings Particulars
During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the state attorney had informed the judges that Sarkozy engaged in a “corrupt agreement” of corruption with one of the most unspeakable dictators of the last 30 years.
Sarkozy denied wrongdoing and said he had not been part of a illegal scheme 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 acquittals, 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 Libyan regime formed the most significant legal case Sarkozy had encountered, he had already been convicted in two separate cases and lost France’s top honor, 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 dishonesty and influence peddling. In that case, he was given a one-year jail term but was able to complete it with an ankle monitor attached to his leg. He wore the tag for a quarter year before being granted conditional release.