The Former French President Preparing to Release Jail Diary Detailing His 20 Days Behind Bars
Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a memoir in the coming weeks called Diary of a Prisoner, detailing the period spent in jail.
The announcement emerged less than two weeks after Sarkozy was released as his appeal proceeds the court ruling on charges of criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to secure political financing linked to the regime of the late Libyan dictator.
Time in Custody: Solitary Musings
“In prison one sees little, and nothing to do,” he reflects in an extract, suggesting the book is more about his thoughts during seclusion rather than a broader observation of the strained and crisis-hit jail system in France.
“I forget silence, which is missing in La Santé, where noise is endless commotion,” he continues. “The racket is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world is strengthened in prison.”
Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal
During his plea for freedom, he was present by video link from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He had told the court: “I wish to commend those working in the jail, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this ordeal tolerable – as it truly is one.”
“I never imagined at this stage of life, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a trial forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It affects one on any prisoner due to its intensity.”
Historical Context
Sarkozy, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural ex-leader of an EU country and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to experience jail.
Before entering jail he had said he intended to spend the period to write a book.
Books in Prison
It is not certain did he manage to read and critique the volumes he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work the famous story, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned later flees to seek vengeance.
Daily Reality
Sarkozy was placed in isolation to protect him in a cell approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet at La Santé prison located in the capital. Two bodyguards were stationed in an adjacent room.
Sources mentioned that he had eaten just yogurt during his stay because he feared any food could have been tampered with. Although he had access to prepare his own meals but refused this, as per accounts. It is uncertain if the memoir includes his dietary choices.
Legal Perspective
The legal representative, Christophe Ingrain daily during the incarceration, stated during proceedings he would be safer out of prison rather than in custody. “He received menacing messages, has heard screaming after dark and emergency responses in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Legal Proceedings
Sarkozy went to prison last month when the judiciary imposed five years in prison on conspiracy charges related to a plan to obtain election financing for his 2007 presidential race.
He disputes the charges and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial is scheduled for early next year.
