The Former French President to Pen Prison Memoir Chronicling His 20 Days Incarcerated

Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a personal account this autumn called Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts the period served in jail.

The announcement came just 11 days after the former president left prison as he contests his conviction related to illegal collaboration connected to efforts to obtain election campaign funds from the leadership of former Libyan leader.

Time in Custody: Personal Reflections

“Inside jail one sees little, with little to occupy time,” he reflects in one passage, suggesting the book will focus on his thoughts from solitary confinement as opposed to wider commentary of the overcrowded and struggling correctional facilities in the country.

“Quiet is absent, which doesn’t exist in La Santé, where one hears constant sound,” he states. “The noise unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, inner life is fortified while incarcerated.”

Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal

At his release request hearing, the former leader was present remotely from a room in prison, depicting prison life as draining. He stated to the judge: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, and who helped make this difficult experience manageable – because it is a nightmare.”

“It never crossed my mind at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a trial I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It has an impact on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”

Unprecedented Situation

Sarkozy, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as past president of an EU country and the first leader since WWII from France to be incarcerated.

Before entering jail he mentioned he intended to spend the period to compose an account.

Reading Material

It is not certain if he found the opportunity to go through the volumes he took into prison: a two-volume biography of Jesus together with Dumas’s work The Count of Monte Cristo, a plot where a blameless person is sentenced to jail then breaks out to seek vengeance.

Daily Reality

He was placed secluded due to safety concerns in a room approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in the city. Guards occupied the next cell.

Sources mentioned that he consumed just yogurt in prison due to concerns any food might have been spat on. Although he had access for self-catering yet he declined, according to reports. It is uncertain if he will detail meals during incarceration.

Defense Viewpoint

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain daily while he was in prison, informed the court his safety would improve outside jail compared to inside. “He received death threats, heard shouts after dark and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Charges and Sentence

His incarceration began on 21 October after a French court gave him a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to obtain election financing for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, and another court case set for next spring.