🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy Portrays Existence in Prison as ‘Exhausting’ and ‘a Nightmare’ The former French president has declared that his time behind bars has been “exhausting” and an “ordeal” as he appeared via remote connection at a judicial proceeding regarding his request to serve his sentence at home. Legal Proceeding from Behind Bars Sarkozy, wearing a dark blue attire, appeared on camera from prison on Monday, positioned at a desk with his lawyers beside him. He told the court: “I want to acknowledge all the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who have eased this difficult situation – because it is a nightmare.” Background of the Case The former president entered La Santé prison in Paris on 21 October, after being handed a half-decade imprisonment for criminal conspiracy over a plan to obtain funds 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 proceeded. Unprecedented Importance The former leader, 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. Emotional Testimony The former president 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 didn’t do … I never imagined 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 difficult, it’s extremely challenging. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.” He stated he would not attempt to enter into contact with any defendants or witnesses 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 Comments Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, sitting next to him in the prison video link room, said: “Being in solitary confinement has been very hard for him.” He said of Sarkozy: “He’s a resilient, robust and brave man and this imprisonment has caused him great suffering.” 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 faced death threats, has heard screaming at night and the emergency response in a adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed,” he stated. 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. Prison Conditions Sarkozy has been held in solitary confinement for his own safety, in an individual cell of about 97 square feet, with his own shower and restroom. Two bodyguards are occupying a neighbouring cell to protect him. Reports suggested that he had been eating only yoghurt in prison as he feared any food might have been tampered with. He had been given the opportunity to cook for himself but declined the offer. Support from Outside His online presence last week posted a video of piles of letters, cards and packages it said had been sent to him, including a collection, a chocolate bar and a book. “No correspondence will go without a response,” his account announced. “The final chapter has not yet been written.” Items in Prison Sarkozy brought with him 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. Court Case Details During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the state attorney had informed the judges that Sarkozy entered into a “Faustian pact of corruption 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 distinct accusations of dishonesty, misuse of Libyan public funds and unlawful political financing. After the public attorney also appealed against these acquittals, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the charges next year, including criminal conspiracy. Previous Convictions Although the claims of a clandestine financial agreement 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 Légion d’honneur. Sarkozy had previously become the first former French head of state forced to wear an monitoring device after being convicted in a separate case of corruption and influence peddling. In that situation, he was given a one-year jail term but was able to complete it with an ankle monitor attached to his leg. He wore the tag for three months before being allowed limited freedom.