Nicolas Sarkozy Portrays Life in Prison as ‘Exhausting’ and ‘an Ordeal’
The former French president has asserted that his stay in prison has been “gruelling” and a “horrific experience” as he appeared via video link at a court hearing regarding his petition to complete his jail term at home.
Legal Proceeding from Prison
Sarkozy, wearing a navy blue suit, was visible on screen from jail on Monday, positioned at a desk with his legal representatives 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.”
Background of the Case
Sarkozy entered La Santé prison in Paris on 21 October, after being handed a five-year jail sentence for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to secure financing for his 2007 presidential election campaign from the government of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
He has appealed against the ruling, but the court ruled that because of the “serious nature” of his guilty verdict, he had to be incarcerated while the appeals process took its course.
Historical Importance
Sarkozy, who was France’s conservative leader between 2007 and 2012, is the initial ex-leader of an EU country to serve time in prison, and the initial leader since WWII to be incarcerated.
Personal Statement
The former president stated to the judges from prison: “I never had any idea or desire 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 ordeal 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 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.”
Defense Lawyers Observations
Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, positioned beside him in the remote connection facility, said: “Being in solitary confinement has been extremely difficult 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 seen him daily, asserted Sarkozy would be safer out of prison than within. “He has received threats against his life, has listened to shouts at night and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner injured themselves,” he said.
Present Situation
The state prosecutor Damien Brunet asked that Sarkozy’s petition for freedom be approved. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon.
Incarceration Details
The former president has been held in solitary confinement for his own safety, in an individual cell of about 9 sq metres, with his own washing facility and restroom. Two bodyguards are stationed nearby to protect him.
Reports indicated that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he was concerned any meal might have been tampered with. He had been offered the facilities to cook for himself but declined the offer.
Encouragement from Outside
His online presence last week shared a video of numerous correspondences, postcards and packages it said had been delivered to his attention, including a collection, a sweet treat and a volume. “No letter will go without a response,” his account announced. “The final chapter has not yet been determined.”
Items in Prison
Sarkozy 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 escapes to take revenge.
Legal Proceedings Details
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 most unspeakable dictators of the last three decades.
The accused maintained his innocence and said he had not been involved in a criminal conspiracy 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 public attorney also challenged these not guilty verdicts, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the charges next year, including illegal collaboration.
Prior Legal Issues
Although the claims of a clandestine financial agreement with the North African government formed the biggest corruption trial Sarkozy had encountered, he had already been found guilty in two separate cases and stripped of France’s highest distinction, the Légion d’honneur.
The former president had previously become the initial ex-leader forced to wear an electronic tag after being convicted in a different matter of dishonesty and improper sway. In that case, he was given a 12-month sentence but was able to complete it with an ankle monitor attached to his leg. He had the device for a quarter year before being allowed limited freedom.
