🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy Describes Life in Jail as ‘Exhausting’ and ‘an Ordeal’ Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has declared that his stay in prison has been “exhausting” and an “ordeal” as he was present via remote connection at a judicial proceeding regarding his application to complete his jail term at home. Legal Proceeding from Behind Bars Sarkozy, wearing a navy blue suit, was visible on screen from prison on Monday, positioned at a desk with his lawyers beside him. He told the court: “I want to pay tribute to all the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who have made this nightmare bearable – because it is a nightmare.” Context of the Case Sarkozy was admitted to the correctional facility in Paris on 21 October, after being handed a half-decade imprisonment for illegal collaboration over a scheme to secure financing 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 took its course. Historical Importance The former leader, who served as France’s conservative leader between 2007 and 2012, is the first former head of an EU country to serve time in prison, and the first French postwar leader to be incarcerated. Personal Statement The former president told the court from prison: “I was completely unaware or desire to ask Mr Gaddafi for any kind of financing … I will never confess 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 hard, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s exhausting.” He said he would not attempt to enter into contact with any accused individuals or testifiers in the case. He declared: “I’m French, I love my country, my family is in France. This situation has caused them pain a lot.” Legal Team Comments His legal representative Jean-Michel Darrois, sitting next to him in the prison video link room, said: “Being in isolation has been very hard for him.” He said of Sarkozy: “He’s a strong, durable and courageous man and this detention has been very painful for him.” In court, a different legal representative, Christophe Ingrain, who had seen him daily, said Sarkozy would be more secure out of prison than within. “He has faced death threats, has listened to shouts at night and the emergency response in a adjacent room when a prisoner injured themselves,” he stated. Present Situation The public attorney Damien Brunet requested that Sarkozy’s petition for freedom be granted. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon. Prison Conditions The former president has been placed in isolation for his own security, in an private room of about 97 square feet, with his own washing facility and restroom. Two bodyguards are stationed nearby to ensure his safety. Reports suggested that he had been eating only yoghurt in prison as he was concerned any meal might have been tampered with. He had been given the opportunity to prepare his own meals but refused this. Encouragement from Outside His online presence last week shared a video of piles of letters, cards and packages it said had been delivered to his attention, including a collage, a sweet treat and a volume. “No letter will go without a response,” his account announced. “The final chapter has not yet been determined.” Personal Belongings The former leader brought with him a biography of Jesus as well as The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas’s novel in which an wrongly accused individual is sentenced to jail but escapes to seek retribution. Legal Proceedings Details During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the public prosecutor 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. The accused denied wrongdoing and stated he had not been part of a criminal conspiracy to seek election funding from Libya. He was acquitted of three separate charges of dishonesty, improper handling of state money and unlawful political financing. After the public attorney also appealed against these acquittals, Sarkozy will be re-tried on all the accusations next year, including illegal collaboration. Prior Legal Issues Although the claims of a secret campaign funding pact with the North African government formed the biggest corruption trial Sarkozy had encountered, he had already been convicted in two separate cases and lost France’s highest distinction, the Légion d’honneur. The former president had previously become the initial ex-leader forced to wear an monitoring device after being found guilty in a different matter of corruption and improper sway. In that case, 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.