The Former French President to Pen Prison Memoir Chronicling His 20 Days Behind Bars
Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a memoir in the coming weeks named Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time served behind bars.
The announcement was made less than two weeks following the former president gained freedom as he contests the court ruling on charges of criminal conspiracy in a case to acquire political financing linked to the regime of the late Libyan dictator.
Prison Experience: Solitary Musings
“Behind bars there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he reflects in an extract, indicating the book will focus on his thoughts during solitary confinement as opposed to extensive analysis of the overcrowded and troubled jail system in France.
“Silence escapes me, which doesn’t exist in La Santé, where there is a lot to hear,” he adds. “The din unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, inner life is strengthened in prison.”
Court Appearance: Recounting the Hardship
While appealing for release, the former leader participated via screen from a room in prison, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this nightmare bearable – as it truly is one.”
“It never crossed my mind that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s an ordeal forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It leaves a mark every inmate due to its intensity.”
Historical Context
He, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural former head in the European Union and the first leader since WWII from France to be incarcerated.
Ahead of his incarceration he mentioned he planned to utilize the opportunity to write a book.
Books in Prison
It remains unclear did he manage to read and critique the three books he had in his cell: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, in which a wrongfully accused individual ends up incarcerated later flees to seek vengeance.
Prison Conditions
The former leader was held in isolation for his own security in a room approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail in Paris. Two bodyguards were stationed in the next cell.
It was stated his diet consisted solely dairy snacks during his stay because he feared meals provided may have been contaminated. He had facilities to cook for himself but refused this, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains if he will detail what he ate in prison.
Lawyer’s Statements
The legal representative, who saw him regularly every day throughout the jail term, told the release hearing security would be better out of prison compared to inside. “He has faced menacing messages, heard shouts after dark and emergency responses in an adjacent room during an inmate’s self-injury.”
Legal Proceedings
His incarceration began last month following a Paris court imposed five years in prison for illegal collaboration over a scheme to obtain campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.
He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial planned for early next year.
