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The former French president has declared that his stay in prison has been “draining” and a “nightmare” as he was present 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, appeared on camera from jail on Monday, positioned at a desk with his legal representatives beside him. He told the court: “I want to commend 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 the correctional facility in Paris on 21 October, after receiving a half-decade imprisonment for illegal collaboration over a plan to obtain funds for his election bid from the regime 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 proceeded.

Historical 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.

Emotional Testimony

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 not admit 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 confess it’s hard, it’s extremely challenging. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

He said he would not try to communicate with any accused individuals or testifiers in the case. He said: “I’m French, I love my country, my family is in France. This ordeal has made them suffer a lot.”

Legal Team Observations

Sarkozy’s lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois, sitting next to him in the remote connection facility, said: “Being in solitary confinement has been extremely difficult for him.” He commented on Sarkozy: “He’s a strong, durable and courageous man and this imprisonment has been very painful for him.”

In court, another of Sarkozy’s lawyers, Christophe Ingrain, who had visited him every day, said Sarkozy would be more secure out of prison than within. “He has faced death threats, has listened to shouts at night and the urgent intervention in a adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed,” he said.

Present Situation

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

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy has been held in solitary confinement for his own safety, in an private room of about 9 sq metres, with his own shower and restroom. Two bodyguards are stationed nearby to protect him.

Accounts indicated that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he was concerned any food might have been tampered with. He had been offered the facilities to cook for himself but declined the offer.

Encouragement from the Public

His online presence last week posted a recording of piles of letters, postcards and packages it said had been delivered to his attention, including a collage, a sweet treat and a book. “No correspondence will go without a response,” his account announced. “The final chapter has not yet been written.”

Personal Belongings

The former leader took into prison a biography of Jesus as well as the classic novel, the famous work in which an wrongly accused individual is sentenced to jail but breaks out to take revenge.

Legal Proceedings Details

During the lengthy court case, the state attorney had told the court that Sarkozy engaged in 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 part of a criminal conspiracy to obtain campaign finances from Libya.

He was found not guilty of three separate charges of corruption, misuse of Libyan public funds and illegal election campaign funding. After the state prosecutor also appealed against these acquittals, Sarkozy will be re-tried on all the accusations next year, including criminal conspiracy.

Prior Legal Issues

Although the claims of a secret campaign funding pact with the North African government formed the biggest corruption trial Sarkozy had faced, he had already been convicted in two separate cases and stripped of France’s top honor, the national recognition.

The former president had previously become the first former French head of state forced to wear an monitoring device after being convicted in a different matter of corruption and improper sway. In that situation, he was given a 12-month sentence but was able to serve it with an electronic tag attached to his leg. He wore the tag for a quarter year before being granted conditional release.