The former French president has asserted that his period of incarceration has been “draining” and a “horrific experience” as he was present via remote connection at a court hearing regarding his petition to complete his jail term at home.
Court Appearance from Behind Bars
Sarkozy, wearing a dark blue attire, appeared on camera from jail on Monday, positioned at a desk with his lawyers beside him. He told the court: “I want to commend all the correctional officers, who are remarkably compassionate, and who have made this nightmare bearable – because it is a nightmare.”
Background of the Legal Situation
Sarkozy 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 verdict, but the court ruled that because of the “serious nature” of his conviction, he had to go to prison while the appeals process took its course.
Historical Significance
Sarkozy, who was France’s rightwing president 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 go behind bars.
Personal Statement
The former president stated to the judges 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 could not have foreseen 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 has an impact on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”
He stated he would not attempt to enter into contact with any accused individuals or testifiers in the case. He declared: “I’m French, I am patriotic, my family is in France. This ordeal has caused them pain a lot.”
Legal Team Comments
Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, positioned beside him in the prison video link room, stated: “Being in isolation has been very hard for him.” He commented on Sarkozy: “He’s a resilient, robust and courageous man and this detention has been very painful for him.”
In court, a different legal representative, Christophe Ingrain, who had visited him every day, asserted Sarkozy would be safer out of prison than inside. “He has received threats against his life, has listened to shouts at night and the emergency response in a adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed,” he stated.
Present Situation
The public attorney Damien Brunet asked that Sarkozy’s request for release be granted. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon.
Incarceration Details
The former president has been placed in isolation 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 consuming solely yogurt in prison as he was concerned any meal might have been contaminated. He had been offered the facilities to cook for himself but refused this.
Support from the Public
Sarkozy’s social media account last week shared a recording of piles of letters, cards and packages it claimed had been sent to him, including a collection, a chocolate bar and a book. “No letter will go unanswered,” his account declared. “The final chapter has not yet been determined.”
Items in Prison
The former leader took into prison a biography of Jesus as well as the classic novel, the famous work in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but escapes to seek retribution.
Court Case Details
During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the public prosecutor had told the court that Sarkozy entered into a “Faustian pact of corruption with one of the worst rulers of the last 30 years.
The accused denied wrongdoing and said he had not been involved in a illegal scheme to seek election funding from Libya.
He was acquitted of three distinct accusations of dishonesty, improper handling of state money and unlawful political financing. After the public attorney also appealed against these not guilty verdicts, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the charges next year, including illegal collaboration.
Previous Convictions
Although the allegations 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 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 monitoring device 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 worn around the ankle. He wore the tag for a quarter year before being granted conditional release.
