The Former French President Set to Write Prison Memoir Documenting Three Weeks In Custody

Nicolas Sarkozy plans a memoir next month called Diary of a Prisoner, detailing the period endured in jail.

The announcement came shortly after Sarkozy was released as he contests the guilty verdict for criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to acquire political financing linked to the leadership of the late Libyan dictator.

Time in Custody: Personal Reflections

“Inside jail one sees little, and nothing to do,” he writes in one passage, indicating the book is more about his reflections during seclusion rather than extensive analysis of the overcrowded and crisis-hit jail system in France.

“Silence escapes me, which doesn’t exist at the prison, where one hears a lot to hear,” he continues. “The racket unfortunately never stops. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world is strengthened in prison.”

Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal

At his release request hearing, the former leader had appeared via screen from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He had told the court: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this nightmare bearable – as it truly is one.”

“I never imagined at this stage of life, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial that has been imposed on me. I admit it’s difficult, deeply straining. It has an impact on any prisoner due to its intensity.”

Unprecedented Situation

He, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, set a precedent as former head from the EU and the first leader since WWII from France to be incarcerated.

Prior to imprisonment he declared he planned to utilize the opportunity to compose an account.

Reading Material

It is not certain did he manage to review and analyze the volumes he took into prison: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, a plot where an innocent man is imprisoned later flees to exact retribution.

Daily Reality

The former leader remained secluded to protect him in a room of about nine sq metres including private facilities at La Santé prison located in the capital. Two bodyguards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

Sources mentioned his diet consisted solely dairy snacks while inside worried that any food might have been spat on. Although he had access to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, according to reports. Not known is if he will detail meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly daily while he was in prison, informed the court he would be safer out of prison than inside. “He has faced threats against his life, heard shouts at night plus rapid actions next door as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Case Background

He entered custody on 21 October after the judiciary imposed a half-decade term on conspiracy charges related to a plan to acquire campaign funds for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, and another court case is scheduled for the coming spring.