Nicolas Sarkozy Portrays Life in Jail as ‘Exhausting’ and ‘a Horrific Experience’
The former French president has asserted that his period of incarceration has been “exhausting” and a “horrific experience” as he was present via remote connection at a court hearing regarding his petition to serve his sentence at home.
Court Appearance from Prison
Sarkozy, dressed in a dark blue attire, appeared on camera from prison 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
The former president entered La Santé prison 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 regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
He has challenged the verdict, but the court ruled that because of the “exceptional gravity” of his guilty verdict, he had to go to prison while the legal challenge took its course.
Historical Importance
Sarkozy, who served as France’s rightwing president between 2007 and 2012, is the first former head of an EU country to serve time in prison, and the initial leader since WWII to go behind bars.
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 ordeal that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It has an impact 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 love my country, my family is in France. This ordeal has made them suffer a lot.”
Defense Lawyers Observations
Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, sitting next to him in the remote connection facility, stated: “Being in solitary confinement has been extremely difficult for him.” He said of Sarkozy: “He’s a resilient, durable and brave man and this imprisonment has caused him great suffering.”
In court, a different legal representative, Christophe Ingrain, who had visited him every day, said Sarkozy would be more secure out of prison than within. “He has received threats against his life, has listened to shouts at night and the emergency response in a adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed,” he said.
Present Situation
The state prosecutor Damien Brunet asked that Sarkozy’s request for release be granted. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon.
Incarceration Details
The former president has been placed in isolation for his own security, in an individual cell of about 9 sq metres, with his own washing facility and toilet. Security personnel are stationed nearby to ensure his safety.
Reports suggested that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he was concerned any food might have been tampered with. He had been given the opportunity to cook for himself but declined the offer.
Encouragement from Outside
Sarkozy’s social media account last week shared a video of numerous correspondences, postcards and packages it said had been delivered to his attention, including a collage, a chocolate bar and a book. “No letter will go unanswered,” his account declared. “The end of the story has not yet been determined.”
Personal Belongings
Sarkozy brought with him a biography of Jesus as well as the classic novel, the famous work in which an innocent man is imprisoned but breaks out to seek retribution.
Court Case Particulars
During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the public prosecutor 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 denied wrongdoing and stated he had not been part of a illegal scheme to seek election funding from Libya.
He was acquitted of three separate charges of corruption, misuse of Libyan public funds and illegal election campaign funding. After the state prosecutor also appealed against these not guilty verdicts, Sarkozy will be re-tried on all the charges next year, including criminal conspiracy.
Previous Convictions
Although the claims of a secret campaign funding pact with the North African government formed the most significant legal case Sarkozy had faced, he had already been found guilty in two separate cases and stripped of France’s top honor, the national recognition.
Sarkozy had previously become the first former French head of state forced to wear an electronic tag after being convicted in a different matter of corruption and improper sway. In that situation, he was given a one-year jail term but was able to complete it with an electronic tag attached to his leg. He wore the tag for three months before being allowed limited freedom.
