🔗 Share this article The former French president Describes Existence in Jail as ‘Exhausting’ and ‘an Ordeal’ Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has declared that his time behind bars has been “gruelling” and a “horrific experience” as he was present via video link at a judicial proceeding regarding his request to complete his jail term at home. Legal Proceeding from Prison The former leader, dressed in a navy blue suit, was visible on screen from prison on Monday, seated at a table with his lawyers beside him. He told the court: “I want to commend all the prison staff, who are remarkably compassionate, and who have eased this difficult situation – because it is a nightmare.” Background of the Case Sarkozy was admitted to the correctional facility in Paris on 21 October, after receiving a half-decade imprisonment for illegal collaboration 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 ruling, but the court ruled that because of the “serious nature” of his guilty verdict, he had to be incarcerated while the legal challenge proceeded. Unprecedented Importance The former leader, 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 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 not admit to something I am innocent of … I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I’d be in prison. It’s an ordeal that has been forced upon me. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.” He said he would not try to communicate with any accused individuals or testifiers in the case. He said: “I’m French, I love my country, my family is in France. This ordeal has caused them pain a lot.” Defense Lawyers Observations His legal representative Jean-Michel Darrois, positioned beside 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 brave man and this detention has caused him great suffering.” In court, a different legal representative, Christophe Ingrain, who had visited him every day, asserted Sarkozy would be more secure outside jail than inside. “He has received threats against his life, has listened to shouts at night and the urgent intervention in a adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed,” he stated. Current Status The public attorney Damien Brunet requested that Sarkozy’s request for release be granted. The court will reveal its ruling on Monday afternoon. Prison Conditions The former president has been placed in isolation for his own safety, in an private room of about 9 sq metres, with his own shower and toilet. Two bodyguards 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 food might have been tampered with. He had been offered the facilities to cook for himself but declined the offer. Encouragement from Outside Sarkozy’s social media account last week shared a recording of numerous correspondences, cards and parcels it claimed had been delivered to his attention, including a collage, a sweet treat and a book. “No correspondence will go without a response,” his account declared. “The end of the story has not yet been determined.” Items in Prison Sarkozy took into prison a biography of Jesus as well as the classic novel, Alexandre Dumas’s novel in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but breaks out to take revenge. Legal Proceedings Details During the lengthy court case, the public prosecutor had informed the judges that Sarkozy entered into a “Faustian pact of dishonesty with one of the most unspeakable dictators of the last 30 years. Sarkozy maintained his innocence and stated he had not been involved in a criminal conspiracy to seek election funding from Libya. He was found not guilty of three separate charges of corruption, improper handling of state money and illegal election campaign funding. After the public attorney also appealed against these not guilty verdicts, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the accusations next year, including illegal collaboration. Previous Convictions 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 convicted in two different proceedings and stripped of France’s highest distinction, the national recognition. The former president had previously become the initial ex-leader 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 worn around the ankle. He had the device for a quarter year before being granted conditional release.