Nicolas Sarkozy Portrays Existence in Jail as ‘Draining’ and ‘an Ordeal’
The former French president has declared that his time behind bars has been “exhausting” and a “nightmare” as he appeared via remote connection at a court hearing regarding his request to complete his jail term at home.
Legal Proceeding from Behind Bars
The former leader, wearing a navy blue suit, was visible on screen from jail on Monday, seated at a table with his lawyers beside him. He informed the judges: “I want to commend all the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who have eased this difficult situation – because it is a horrific experience.”
Background of the Legal Situation
The former president entered La Santé prison in Paris on 21 October, after receiving a five-year jail sentence for criminal conspiracy over a plan to obtain funds for his election bid 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 go to prison while the appeals process proceeded.
Unprecedented Significance
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 first French postwar leader to go behind bars.
Personal Statement
The former president told the court from prison: “I never had any idea or desire to ask Mr Gaddafi for any kind of financing … I will never confess 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 challenge that has been forced upon me. I confess it’s difficult, it’s extremely challenging. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s exhausting.”
He said he would not attempt to enter into contact with any defendants or testifiers in the case. He declared: “I’m French, I am patriotic, my family is in France. This situation 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, stated: “Being in solitary confinement has been extremely difficult for him.” He said of Sarkozy: “He’s a strong, robust and courageous man and this imprisonment has been very painful for him.”
In court, a different legal representative, Christophe Ingrain, who had visited him every day, asserted Sarkozy would be more secure outside jail than within. “He has received threats against his life, 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 request for release be approved. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon.
Prison Conditions
The former president has been held in solitary confinement for his own security, in an individual cell of about 97 square feet, with his own shower and toilet. Security personnel are occupying a neighbouring cell to ensure his safety.
Accounts suggested that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he was concerned any meal might have been contaminated. He had been offered the facilities to prepare his own meals but declined the offer.
Support from the Public
His online presence last week shared a video of piles of letters, cards and parcels it said had been delivered to his attention, including a collection, a chocolate bar and a book. “No correspondence will go without a response,” his account announced. “The end of the story has not yet been written.”
Personal Belongings
Sarkozy took into prison a life story of Christ as well as The Count of Monte Cristo, the famous work in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but escapes to seek retribution.
Legal Proceedings Details
During the lengthy court case, the state attorney had told the court that Sarkozy engaged in a “Faustian pact of dishonesty with one of the most unspeakable dictators of the last three decades.
The accused maintained his innocence and said he had not been part of 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 illegal election campaign funding. After the public attorney also appealed against these acquittals, Sarkozy will be re-tried on all the accusations next year, including criminal conspiracy.
Prior Legal Issues
Although the claims of a clandestine financial agreement with the North African government formed the biggest corruption trial Sarkozy had faced, he had already been found guilty in two different proceedings and stripped of France’s highest distinction, the Légion d’honneur.
Sarkozy had previously become the initial ex-leader forced to wear an monitoring device after being convicted in a separate case of dishonesty and improper sway. In that situation, he was given a one-year jail term but was able to serve it with an electronic tag attached to his leg. He wore the tag for three months before being granted conditional release.