Nicolas Sarkozy to Pen Jail Diary Documenting Three Weeks In Custody

Nicolas Sarkozy plans a memoir in the coming weeks named A Prisoner’s Diary, which recounts the period spent in jail.

The announcement emerged just 11 days following the former president was released as his appeal proceeds the court ruling on charges of criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to obtain election campaign funds from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

Life Behind Bars: Personal Reflections

“In prison one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in a preview, suggesting the book is more about his reflections during solitary confinement as opposed to wider commentary on the packed and crisis-hit jail system in France.

“Silence escapes me, which is missing in that facility, where there is endless commotion,” he adds. “The din is alas constant. But, just like the desert, inner life is strengthened while incarcerated.”

Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal

During his plea for freedom, Sarkozy had appeared via screen from his cell, describing his time inside as exhausting. He had told the court: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, easing this nightmare tolerable – as it truly is one.”

“It never crossed my mind that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a hardship forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It affects one every inmate as it’s exhausting.”

First of Its Kind

Sarkozy, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, set a precedent as past president from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure of France to experience jail.

Ahead of his incarceration he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity for authoring a memoir.

Reading Material

It remains unclear whether he had time to go through the three books he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the classic tale, a plot where an innocent man ends up incarcerated later flees to take revenge.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy remained in isolation to protect him in a room approximately nine square meters including private facilities in the Paris jail in the city. Security personnel stayed in a neighbouring cell.

It was stated his diet consisted just yogurt while inside due to concerns any food might have been spat on. Although he had access for self-catering but refused this, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about meals during incarceration.

Defense Viewpoint

The legal representative, who visited his client every day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings his safety would improve out of prison than inside. “He received menacing messages, has heard screaming at night and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Case Background

His incarceration began last month following a French court sentenced him to a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to secure election financing for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, and a fresh trial set for the coming spring.