🔗 Share this article

The former French president has asserted that his stay in prison 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.

Court Appearance from Behind Bars

The former leader, wearing a navy blue suit, appeared on camera from prison on Monday, seated at a table with his legal representatives beside him. He informed the judges: “I want to pay tribute to all the correctional officers, who are remarkably compassionate, and who have eased this difficult situation – because it is a horrific experience.”

Background of the Legal Situation

Sarkozy entered La Santé prison in Paris on 21 October, after being handed a half-decade imprisonment 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 judges ruled that because of the “serious nature” of his conviction, he had to be incarcerated while the appeals process proceeded.

Unprecedented Significance

Sarkozy, who served as France’s rightwing president between 2007 and 2012, is the first former head of an EU country to be imprisoned in prison, and the initial leader since WWII to go behind bars.

Personal Statement

Sarkozy 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 never imagined that at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s an challenge that has been imposed on me. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

He stated he would not attempt to enter into contact with any defendants or testifiers in the case. He said: “I’m French, I am patriotic, my family is in France. This situation has made them suffer a lot.”

Legal Team Comments

Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, positioned beside him in the prison video link room, said: “Being in solitary confinement has been extremely difficult for him.” He commented on 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 more secure out of prison than inside. “He has received threats against his life, has heard screaming at night and the emergency response in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner self-harmed,” he stated.

Current Status

The state prosecutor Damien Brunet requested that Sarkozy’s request for release be granted. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon.

Incarceration Details

Sarkozy has been held in solitary confinement for his own safety, in an private room of about 97 square feet, with his own washing facility and toilet. Security personnel 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 food might have been contaminated. He had been offered the facilities to cook for himself but refused this.

Encouragement from the Public

His online presence last week posted a recording of piles of letters, postcards and parcels it said had been delivered to his attention, including a collage, a sweet treat and a volume. “No letter will go unanswered,” 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 classic novel, Alexandre Dumas’s novel in which an wrongly accused individual is imprisoned but breaks out to seek retribution.

Legal Proceedings Particulars

During the lengthy court case, the state attorney had informed the judges that Sarkozy engaged in a “corrupt agreement” of corruption with one of the worst rulers of the last 30 years.

The accused denied wrongdoing and said he had not been part of 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 unlawful political financing. After the state prosecutor also challenged these not guilty verdicts, Sarkozy will be re-tried on all the charges next year, including illegal collaboration.

Prior Legal Issues

Although the claims of a secret campaign funding pact with the Libyan regime formed the most significant legal case Sarkozy had encountered, he had already been convicted in two separate cases and lost France’s highest distinction, the national recognition.

The former president had previously become the first former French head of state forced to wear an electronic tag after being convicted in a different matter of dishonesty and improper sway. In that situation, he was given a 12-month sentence but was able to serve it with an ankle monitor worn around the ankle. He wore the tag for three months before being allowed limited freedom.