🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy Portrays Life in Jail as ‘Gruelling’ and ‘an Ordeal’ Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has asserted that his time behind bars has been “gruelling” and a “nightmare” as he was present via remote connection at a court hearing regarding his petition to complete his jail term at home. Legal Proceeding from Behind Bars Sarkozy, dressed in a navy blue suit, appeared on camera from jail on Monday, seated at a table with his legal representatives beside him. He told the court: “I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, who are exceptionally humane, and who have made this nightmare bearable – because it is a nightmare.” Context of the Case Sarkozy entered the correctional facility in Paris on 21 October, after receiving a half-decade imprisonment for criminal conspiracy 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 took its course. Unprecedented Importance Sarkozy, who was France’s rightwing president between 2007 and 2012, is the first former head of an EU country to be imprisoned 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 never imagined 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 hard, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s exhausting.” He said 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 ordeal has caused them pain a lot.” Defense Lawyers Observations Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, positioned beside him in the prison video link room, said: “Being in solitary confinement has been very hard for him.” He commented on Sarkozy: “He’s a resilient, robust and brave man and this imprisonment has been very painful for him.” In court, another of Sarkozy’s lawyers, Christophe Ingrain, who had seen him daily, said Sarkozy would be safer out of prison than within. “He has faced death threats, has heard screaming 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 petition for freedom be granted. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon. Prison Conditions Sarkozy has been held in solitary confinement for his own security, in an individual cell of about 9 sq metres, with his own washing facility and restroom. Security personnel are stationed nearby to ensure his safety. Reports suggested that he had been eating only yoghurt in prison as he feared any meal might have been tampered with. He had been offered the facilities to cook for himself but declined the offer. Encouragement from the Public Sarkozy’s social media account last week posted a recording of numerous correspondences, cards and parcels it said had been sent to him, including a collage, a chocolate bar and a book. “No correspondence will go unanswered,” his account declared. “The end of the story has not yet been determined.” Personal Belongings The former leader took into prison a biography of Jesus as well as The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas’s novel in which an innocent man is imprisoned but breaks out to take revenge. Court Case Particulars During the lengthy court case, the state attorney had told the court that Sarkozy entered into a “Faustian pact of corruption with one of the worst rulers of the last 30 years. Sarkozy maintained his innocence and stated he had not been part of a criminal conspiracy to obtain campaign finances from Libya. He was acquitted of three separate charges of dishonesty, misuse of Libyan public funds and illegal election campaign funding. After the state prosecutor also appealed against these not guilty verdicts, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the charges next year, including criminal conspiracy. Previous Convictions Although the allegations of a secret campaign funding pact with the North African government formed the most significant legal case Sarkozy had faced, he had already been convicted in two separate cases and lost France’s highest distinction, the national recognition. Sarkozy had previously become the first former French head of state forced to wear an monitoring device after being convicted in a different matter of dishonesty and influence peddling. In that situation, he was given a 12-month sentence but was able to complete it with an electronic tag attached to his leg. He had the device for three months before being allowed limited freedom.