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The former French president has declared that his stay in prison has been “gruelling” and a “nightmare” as he appeared via remote connection at a court hearing regarding his request to serve his sentence at home.

Court Appearance from Prison

The former leader, wearing a dark blue attire, was visible on screen from jail on Monday, seated at a table 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.”

Background of the Case

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 challenged the verdict, but judges ruled that because of the “exceptional gravity” of his conviction, he had to go to prison while the legal challenge took its course.

Historical Importance

The former leader, 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 first French postwar leader to go behind bars.

Personal Statement

Sarkozy 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 didn’t do … I could not have foreseen that at 70 years of age, I’d be in prison. It’s an challenge 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 stated he would not try to communicate with any defendants or witnesses in the case. He said: “I’m French, I am patriotic, my family is in France. This ordeal has made them suffer a lot.”

Defense Lawyers Observations

Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, positioned beside him in the remote connection facility, said: “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 seen him daily, asserted Sarkozy would be safer out of prison than inside. “He has received threats against his life, has heard screaming at night and the urgent intervention in a adjacent room 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

The former president has been held in solitary confinement for his own safety, in an private room of about 9 sq metres, with his own washing facility and toilet. Security personnel are stationed nearby to protect him.

Reports suggested that he had been eating only yoghurt in prison as he feared any meal 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 video of piles of letters, postcards and parcels it said had been sent to him, including a collection, a sweet treat and a volume. “No correspondence will go unanswered,” his account announced. “The end of the story has not yet been determined.”

Personal Belongings

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 breaks out to take revenge.

Court Case Particulars

During the lengthy court case, the public prosecutor had told the court that Sarkozy entered into a “corrupt agreement” of dishonesty with one of the most unspeakable dictators of the last three decades.

Sarkozy denied wrongdoing and stated he had not been part of a criminal conspiracy to obtain campaign finances from Libya.

He was acquitted of three separate charges of dishonesty, misuse of Libyan public funds and unlawful political financing. After the state prosecutor also appealed against these acquittals, Sarkozy will be judged again on all the charges next year, including criminal conspiracy.

Prior Legal Issues

Although the allegations of a clandestine financial agreement with the Libyan regime 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 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 separate case of dishonesty and improper sway. In that case, he was given a 12-month sentence but was able to complete it with an ankle monitor worn around the ankle. He wore the tag for a quarter year before being granted conditional release.