Nicolas Sarkozy Set to Write Jail Diary Documenting Two Dozen Days Behind Bars
The ex-president of France will soon publish a book next month called Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time spent in custody.
The announcement came just 11 days after Sarkozy gained freedom while his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict related to unlawful coordination in a case to obtain political financing provided by the leadership of the late Libyan dictator.
Time in Custody: Solitary Musings
“Inside jail visibility is limited, and activities are scarce,” he notes in a preview, implying the account centers around his reflections from isolation as opposed to a broader observation on the packed and troubled jail system in France.
“I forget silence, which doesn’t exist in La Santé, where there is constant sound,” he continues. “The noise unfortunately never stops. But, just like the desert, personal reflection grows stronger in prison.”
Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal
While appealing for release, the former leader participated by video link from inside the facility, describing his time inside as draining. He stated to the judge: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, displaying remarkable compassion, and who have made this difficult experience tolerable – as it truly is one.”
“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, deeply straining. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”
Unprecedented Situation
Sarkozy, who served as France’s president for a five-year term, set a precedent as past president from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure of France to be incarcerated.
Ahead of his incarceration he had said he intended to spend the period to write a book.
Cell Library
It remains unclear whether he had time to go through the volumes he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, where an innocent man ends up incarcerated later flees to exact retribution.
Life in Confinement
He was held in isolation to protect him in a space roughly 100 square feet with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in the city. Two bodyguards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.
Reports indicated that he consumed only yoghurts during his stay due to concerns meals provided may have been contaminated. He had facilities to prepare his own meals but refused this, as per accounts. Not known is whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.
Legal Perspective
Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly daily during the incarceration, told the release hearing he would be safer outside jail than inside. “He has faced threats against his life, has heard screaming at night and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”
Legal Proceedings
He entered custody in late October when the judiciary imposed a half-decade term on conspiracy charges related to a plan to acquire political donations during his election campaign.
He disputes the charges and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial planned for the coming spring.
