🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy Describes Existence in Prison as ‘Exhausting’ and ‘a Horrific Experience’ Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has stated that his time behind bars has been “draining” and a “nightmare” as he was present via remote connection at a court hearing regarding his petition to serve his sentence at home. Court Appearance from Behind Bars Sarkozy, dressed in a navy blue suit, was visible on screen from jail on Monday, seated at a table with his lawyers beside him. He told the court: “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 The former president was admitted to the correctional facility in Paris on 21 October, after receiving a half-decade imprisonment for illegal collaboration over a scheme to secure financing for his 2007 presidential election campaign from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He has challenged the verdict, but judges ruled that because of the “exceptional gravity” of his conviction, he had to go to prison while the legal challenge took its course. Historical Importance Sarkozy, who was France’s rightwing president 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. Personal Statement Sarkozy 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 am innocent of … 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 confess it’s hard, it’s extremely challenging. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s exhausting.” He said he would not try to communicate with any defendants or witnesses in the case. He said: “I’m French, I love my country, my family is in France. This ordeal has made them suffer a lot.” Defense Lawyers Comments Sarkozy’s lawyer 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 commented on Sarkozy: “He’s a resilient, robust and courageous 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 more secure out of prison than inside. “He has faced death threats, has listened to shouts at night and the emergency response in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner injured themselves,” he stated. Current Status The public attorney Damien Brunet asked that Sarkozy’s petition for freedom be approved. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon. Incarceration Details Sarkozy has been placed in isolation for his own safety, in an individual cell of about 9 sq metres, with his own shower and toilet. Two bodyguards are occupying a neighbouring cell to protect him. Accounts indicated that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he was concerned any food might have been contaminated. He had been offered the facilities to prepare his own meals but refused this. Encouragement from the Public Sarkozy’s social media account last week posted a video of piles of letters, postcards and packages it claimed had been delivered to his attention, including a collection, a chocolate bar and a book. “No correspondence will go unanswered,” his account announced. “The end of the story has not yet been written.” Personal Belongings Sarkozy took into prison a biography of Jesus as well as The Count of Monte Cristo, the famous work in which an wrongly accused individual is imprisoned but breaks out to seek retribution. Legal Proceedings Details 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. Sarkozy maintained his innocence and said he had not been part of a criminal conspiracy to seek election funding 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 appealed against these acquittals, Sarkozy will be re-tried on all the accusations next year, including illegal collaboration. Previous Convictions 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 top honor, the national recognition. Sarkozy had previously become the initial ex-leader forced to wear an electronic tag after being found guilty in a different matter of dishonesty and influence peddling. In that situation, he was given a one-year jail term but was able to serve it with an ankle monitor attached to his leg. He wore the tag for a quarter year before being granted conditional release.