Nicolas Sarkozy to Pen Jail Diary Detailing Two Dozen Days In Custody
The ex-president of France is preparing a personal account in the coming weeks called A Prisoner’s Diary, which recounts the period served behind bars.
The announcement came shortly after Sarkozy gained freedom while he appeals the court ruling related to unlawful coordination regarding a scheme to obtain political financing provided by the leadership of former Libyan leader.
Life Behind Bars: Personal Reflections
“Inside jail one sees little, with little to occupy time,” he notes in one passage, implying the memoir is more about his reflections while in isolation as opposed to wider commentary regarding the overcrowded and crisis-hit jail system in France.
“Quiet is absent, not present at the prison, where noise is a lot to hear,” he continues. “The racket is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, inner life is fortified in prison.”
Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal
At his release request hearing, he participated remotely from inside the facility, describing his time inside as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, easing this nightmare bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”
“I never imagined at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It affects one every inmate as it’s exhausting.”
Unprecedented Situation
He, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, became the inaugural ex-leader in the European Union and the first postwar leader of France to serve time in prison.
Before entering jail he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity to write a book.
Reading Material
It remains unclear if he found the opportunity to go through the three books he took into prison: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo, a plot where an innocent man is sentenced to jail later flees to exact retribution.
Daily Reality
He was placed secluded to protect him in a room roughly 100 square feet with his own shower and toilet at La Santé prison located in the capital. Security personnel were stationed in an adjacent room.
Sources mentioned that he consumed just yogurt while inside due to concerns prison cuisine may have been contaminated. Although he had access to prepare his own meals but refused this, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.
Defense Viewpoint
Sarkozy’s lawyer, who visited his client each day during the incarceration, stated during proceedings he would be safer out of prison rather than in custody. “He received menacing messages, listened to yells after dark and emergency responses in a neighbouring cell as a detainee harmed themselves.”
Charges and Sentence
His incarceration began on 21 October after the judiciary imposed five years in prison on conspiracy charges over a scheme to obtain campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.
He denies wrongdoing challenging the decision, and a fresh trial is scheduled for the coming spring.
