The Former French President Set to Write Prison Memoir Detailing His 20 Days Behind Bars
Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a book in the coming weeks named A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing the period served behind bars.
The announcement was made just 11 days following the ex-leader gained freedom while his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict on charges of unlawful coordination connected to efforts to secure election campaign funds from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts
“Inside jail there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in one passage, implying the account will focus on his thoughts while in seclusion instead of wider commentary regarding the overcrowded and troubled French prison system.
“Quiet is absent, which doesn’t exist at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he adds. “The noise is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, inner life grows stronger in prison.”
Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship
During his plea for freedom, the former leader participated remotely from inside the facility, describing his time inside as exhausting. He stated to the judge: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this nightmare bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”
“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, deeply straining. It affects one all who experience it as it’s exhausting.”
First of Its Kind
The former president, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, became the inaugural former head in the European Union and the first postwar leader in the French Republic to be incarcerated.
Before entering jail he declared he planned to utilize the opportunity to write a book.
Books in Prison
Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to review and analyze the three books he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the famous story, a plot where an innocent man is sentenced to jail then breaks out to exact retribution.
Prison Conditions
Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement to protect him in a space roughly 100 square feet including private facilities at La Santé prison in the city. Guards stayed in the next cell.
Reports indicated that he consumed only yoghurts during his stay due to concerns meals provided might have been spat on. Options were available for self-catering but he turned this down, as per accounts. Not known is whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.
Lawyer’s Statements
His attorney, who saw him regularly each day throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings security would be better released than inside. “There were threats against his life, listened to yells at night and the urgent intervention next door as a detainee harmed themselves.”
Legal Proceedings
His incarceration began in late October when a Paris court imposed a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration related to a plan to obtain election financing during his election campaign.
He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, and another court case planned for early next year.
