Nicolas Sarkozy Set to Write Prison Memoir Chronicling His 20 Days Behind Bars
Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a memoir in the coming weeks named A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing the period endured in custody.
The revelation was made just 11 days following Sarkozy gained freedom as he appeals his conviction related to criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to secure election campaign funds provided by the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.
Time in Custody: Personal Reflections
“Behind bars there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he reflects in an extract, suggesting the account centers around his musings during solitary confinement instead of a broader observation regarding the overcrowded and crisis-hit French prison system.
“Quiet is absent, not present at the prison, where noise is a lot to hear,” he adds. “The din is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, inner life grows stronger while incarcerated.”
Freedom Plea: Describing the Ordeal
During his plea for freedom, he was present remotely from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, showing great humanity, and who helped make this nightmare manageable – since it’s deeply troubling.”
“It never crossed my mind at this stage of life, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a hardship forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, deeply straining. It has an impact every inmate because it’s gruelling.”
Historical Context
The former president, who led the nation for a five-year term, set a precedent as ex-leader from the EU and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to be incarcerated.
Before entering jail he declared he would use his time to write a book.
Cell Library
It remains unclear if he found the opportunity to go through the volumes he took into prison: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, in which an innocent man is imprisoned but escapes to take revenge.
Life in Confinement
The former leader remained secluded due to safety concerns in a cell roughly 100 square feet including private facilities at La Santé prison located in the capital. Guards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.
Sources mentioned his diet consisted only yoghurts during his stay due to concerns any food could have been tampered with. Although he had access for self-catering but refused this, as per accounts. Unclear remains if he will detail what he ate in prison.
Defense Viewpoint
His attorney, who visited his client every day during the incarceration, informed the court he would be safer released than inside. “He received threats against his life, listened to yells at night and emergency responses in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”
Charges and Sentence
He entered custody last month when the judiciary gave him five years in prison on conspiracy charges related to a plan to secure election financing during his election campaign.
He denies wrongdoing challenging the decision, with a new trial is scheduled for early next year.
