🔗 Share this article

Nicolas Sarkozy plans a book this autumn titled A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing his time spent behind bars.

The revelation was made less than two weeks after Sarkozy was released as his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict for criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to acquire election campaign funds linked to the leadership of former Libyan leader.

Time in Custody: Personal Reflections

“In prison there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he notes in a preview, suggesting the memoir will focus on his reflections while in isolation as opposed to a broader observation regarding the overcrowded and crisis-hit jail system in France.

“I forget silence, not present in La Santé, where noise is constant sound,” he adds. “The noise persists relentlessly. But, just like the desert, inner life grows stronger in prison.”

Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship

While appealing for release, the former leader participated by video link from a room in prison, describing his time inside as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, and who have made this ordeal manageable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a trial I must endure. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, extremely tough. It affects one on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”

Historical Context

He, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as past president from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure from France to be incarcerated.

Before entering jail he had said he would use his time to compose an account.

Cell Library

It is not certain if he found the opportunity to go through the texts he took into prison: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the classic tale, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual ends up incarcerated later flees to exact retribution.

Daily Reality

The former leader was held secluded for his own security in a space roughly 100 square feet including private facilities at the correctional facility located in the capital. Guards stayed in the next cell.

Reports indicated that he had eaten solely dairy snacks in prison worried that prison cuisine could have been tampered with. He had facilities to cook for himself but refused this, as per accounts. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.

Legal Perspective

Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly every day during the incarceration, told the release hearing security would be better outside jail rather than in custody. “He received threats against his life, has heard screaming at night plus rapid actions in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Charges and Sentence

He entered custody last month following a Paris court gave him five years in prison on conspiracy charges over a scheme to secure election financing for his presidential bid.

He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial set for early next year.