Nicolas Sarkozy to Pen Jail Diary Detailing Two Dozen Days Incarcerated

The ex-president of France plans a personal account in the coming weeks called Diary of a Prisoner, detailing his time endured behind bars.

The revelation came less than two weeks after the former president gained freedom while he appeals his conviction related to criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to acquire election campaign funds provided by the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.

Life Behind Bars: Solitary Musings

“Behind bars there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he notes in a preview, indicating the memoir will focus on his thoughts while in isolation instead of a broader observation on the overcrowded and crisis-hit jail system in France.

“I forget silence, which is missing at the prison, where noise is endless commotion,” he continues. “The din is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world grows stronger while incarcerated.”

Freedom Plea: Describing the Ordeal

While appealing for release, he participated remotely from inside the facility, depicting prison life as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this difficult experience bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I didn’t expect at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a trial forced upon me. I admit it’s difficult, deeply straining. It has an impact all who experience it because it’s gruelling.”

Historical Context

Sarkozy, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as ex-leader in the European Union and the first leader since WWII from France to serve time in prison.

Before entering jail he mentioned he would use his time for authoring a memoir.

Books in Prison

It is not certain did he manage to read and critique the three books he took into prison: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual ends up incarcerated then breaks out to seek vengeance.

Daily Reality

Sarkozy remained in isolation due to safety concerns in a space approximately nine square meters including private facilities at the correctional facility in the city. Guards occupied a neighbouring cell.

Sources mentioned his diet consisted only yoghurts while inside worried that prison cuisine might have been spat on. He had facilities to cook for himself but he turned this down, according to reports. Unclear remains if the memoir includes his dietary choices.

Legal Perspective

His attorney, who visited his client each day while he was in prison, informed the court security would be better outside jail compared to inside. “He has faced death threats, listened to yells after dark plus rapid actions in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Charges and Sentence

He entered custody in late October after a Paris court imposed five years in prison for illegal collaboration related to a plan to secure political donations for his 2007 presidential race.

He maintains his innocence and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial is scheduled for next spring.