Nicolas Sarkozy to Pen Prison Memoir Detailing Three Weeks Incarcerated

The ex-president of France will soon publish a book this autumn named Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his experience endured in jail.

The revelation came shortly after Sarkozy left prison as he contests the court ruling related to criminal conspiracy in a case to acquire presidential race money provided by the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts

“Behind bars visibility is limited, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in one passage, indicating the book is more about his musings from seclusion instead of a broader observation on the packed and struggling correctional facilities in the country.

“Silence escapes me, which is missing in that facility, where noise is constant sound,” he continues. “The din persists relentlessly. However, akin to empty spaces, inner life is strengthened while incarcerated.”

Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle

At his release request hearing, Sarkozy participated remotely from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He stated to the judge: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this ordeal bearable – because it is a nightmare.”

“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a trial that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark every inmate because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

Sarkozy, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural former head from the EU and the first postwar leader from France to experience jail.

Before entering jail he had said he intended to spend the period to write a book.

Books in Prison

It remains unclear did he manage to review and analyze the three books he had in his cell: a life story of Jesus spanning two books together with Dumas’s work the classic tale, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual ends up incarcerated but escapes to exact retribution.

Daily Reality

Sarkozy was held in isolation to protect him in a room of about nine sq metres featuring a personal bathroom in the Paris jail in the city. Two bodyguards stayed in a neighbouring cell.

It was stated his diet consisted solely dairy snacks in prison because he feared meals provided may have been contaminated. Although he had access to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, according to reports. It is uncertain if he will detail his dietary choices.

Legal Perspective

Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly each day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings security would be better out of prison compared to inside. “He has faced death threats, has heard screaming after dark and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Charges and Sentence

He entered custody last month after a French court imposed a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration over a scheme to secure election financing during his election campaign.

He disputes the charges and is contesting the ruling, with a new trial is scheduled for the coming spring.