The French prosecutor’s office is asking the court that Nicolas Sarkozy can serve his sentence outside of prison. She cited the risk of collusion and pressure on witnesses.
On Monday, the French prosecutor’s office asked the court to release former president Nicolas Sarkozy from prison. TASR informs about it according to the AFP agency.
“The risk of collusion and pressure on witnesses justifies the request for release under judicial supervision,” said prosecutor Damien Brunet.
The convicted ex-president participated in the hearing via telebridge. He told the court that the prison conditions were difficult. “It’s hard, very hard, certainly for any prisoner. I’d even say it’s grueling,” he said. He thanked the prison guards, who, he said, “made this nightmare bearable.”
Sarkozy is to serve five years in prison for criminal conspiracy in the case of financing his election campaign from 2007. He appealed against the verdict, but the court still ordered him to start serving the sentence. He entered La Santé prison in Paris on October 21 and became the first ex-president of an EU state to be imprisoned. Due to his age, 70-year-old Sarkozy could apply for parole immediately after the start of his sentence. In France, such a provision applies to prisoners aged 70 and over, allowing them to serve their sentences outside prison under certain conditions.
