Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has stated that his time behind bars has been “gruelling” and an “ordeal” as he was present via video link at a court hearing regarding his request to complete his jail term at home.
Court Appearance from Behind Bars
The former leader, wearing a dark blue attire, was visible on screen from jail on Monday, positioned at a desk with his legal representatives beside him. He informed the judges: “I want to commend all the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who have made this nightmare bearable – because it is a horrific experience.”
Background of the Case
The former president entered La Santé prison in Paris on 21 October, after receiving a five-year jail sentence for criminal conspiracy 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 “exceptional gravity” of his conviction, he had to be incarcerated while the legal challenge took its course.
Historical Importance
The former leader, who served as 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
Sarkozy told the court from prison: “I was completely unaware or desire 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 leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”
He said he would not attempt to enter into contact with any defendants or witnesses in the case. He declared: “I’m French, I love my country, my family is in France. This situation has made them suffer a lot.”
Legal Team Comments
His legal representative Jean-Michel Darrois, positioned beside him in the prison video link room, said: “Being in solitary confinement has been very hard for him.” He commented on Sarkozy: “He’s a strong, durable and brave man and this imprisonment has caused him great suffering.”
In court, a different legal representative, Christophe Ingrain, who had seen him daily, asserted Sarkozy would be more secure out of prison than inside. “He has faced death threats, has heard screaming at night and the emergency response 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 security, in an private room of about 97 square feet, with his own washing facility and restroom. Two bodyguards are occupying a neighbouring cell to ensure his safety.
Accounts suggested that he had been eating only yoghurt in prison as he was concerned any meal might have been contaminated. He had been given the opportunity to cook for himself but declined the offer.
Support from Outside
His online presence last week posted a recording of piles of letters, postcards and packages it said had been sent to him, including a collage, a chocolate bar and a volume. “No correspondence will go without a response,” his account declared. “The end of the story has not yet been written.”
Items in Prison
The former leader took into prison a biography of Jesus as well as the classic novel, Alexandre Dumas’s novel in which an innocent man is imprisoned but breaks out to seek retribution.
Court Case Particulars
During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the state attorney had informed the judges that Sarkozy engaged in a “Faustian pact of dishonesty with one of the most unspeakable dictators of the last 30 years.
Sarkozy maintained his innocence and said he had not been involved in a illegal scheme to obtain campaign finances from Libya.
He was found not guilty of three separate charges of corruption, misuse of Libyan public funds and unlawful political financing. After the state prosecutor also appealed against these not guilty verdicts, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the charges next year, including criminal conspiracy.
Prior Legal Issues
Although the allegations of a secret campaign funding pact with the North African government formed the most significant legal case Sarkozy had encountered, he had already been found guilty in two different proceedings and lost France’s top honor, the Légion d’honneur.
The former president had previously become the initial ex-leader forced to wear an electronic tag after being found guilty in a separate case of dishonesty and improper sway. In that case, he was given a 12-month sentence but was able to serve it with an ankle monitor attached to his leg. He wore the tag for a quarter year before being granted conditional release.
