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Ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has asserted that his time behind bars has been “gruelling” and a “nightmare” as he was present via remote connection at a judicial proceeding regarding his application to complete his jail term at home.

Legal Proceeding from Prison

The former leader, dressed in a dark blue attire, was visible on screen 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 exceptionally humane, and who have eased this difficult situation – because it is a nightmare.”

Context of the Case

The former president entered La Santé prison in Paris on 21 October, after being handed a five-year jail sentence for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to secure financing for his 2007 presidential election campaign from the government of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

He has challenged the ruling, 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.

Unprecedented Significance

Sarkozy, who was France’s conservative leader 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 be incarcerated.

Emotional Testimony

Sarkozy told the court from prison: “I was completely unaware 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 this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s an challenge that has been forced upon me. I confess it’s difficult, it’s extremely challenging. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

He stated he would not attempt to enter into contact with any accused individuals or witnesses in the case. He said: “I’m French, I am patriotic, my family is in France. This ordeal has caused them pain a lot.”

Defense Lawyers Comments

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

In court, a different legal representative, Christophe Ingrain, who had seen him daily, said Sarkozy would be safer outside jail 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.

Current Status

The state prosecutor Damien Brunet asked that Sarkozy’s petition for freedom be approved. The court will announce its decision on Monday afternoon.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy has been placed in isolation for his own security, in an private room of about 97 square feet, with his own washing facility and toilet. Two bodyguards are occupying a neighbouring cell to protect him.

Reports indicated that he had been consuming solely yogurt in prison as he feared any food might have been contaminated. He had been given the opportunity to cook for himself but declined the offer.

Encouragement from the Public

Sarkozy’s social media account last week posted a recording of numerous correspondences, cards and parcels it claimed had been sent to him, including a collection, a chocolate bar and a book. “No letter will go without a response,” his account declared. “The final chapter 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 wrongly accused individual is sentenced to jail but breaks out to seek retribution.

Court Case Particulars

During Sarkozy’s three-month trial, the state attorney had informed the judges that Sarkozy entered into a “Faustian pact of dishonesty with one of the most unspeakable dictators of the last three decades.

Sarkozy denied wrongdoing and stated he had not been involved in a illegal scheme to seek election funding from Libya.

He was acquitted 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 accusations next year, including illegal collaboration.

Previous Convictions

Although the claims 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 stripped of France’s top honor, the national recognition.

The former president had previously become the initial ex-leader forced to wear an electronic tag after being found guilty in a different matter of corruption and influence peddling. In that case, 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 three months before being allowed limited freedom.