The Former French President Set to Write Jail Diary Documenting Two Dozen Days In Custody

The ex-president of France plans a personal account this autumn titled Diary of a Prisoner, detailing his time spent in jail.

The revelation was made shortly following the ex-leader was released while he contests the guilty verdict related to unlawful coordination in a case to obtain political financing linked to the government of Muammar Gaddafi.

Life Behind Bars: Solitary Musings

“Inside jail one sees little, and nothing to do,” he reflects in a preview, indicating the account is more about his reflections while in seclusion instead of extensive analysis regarding the overcrowded and troubled correctional facilities in the country.

“Quiet is absent, which is missing at the prison, where one hears endless commotion,” he continues. “The noise unfortunately never stops. But, just like the desert, one’s inner world is fortified behind bars.”

Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship

At his release request hearing, Sarkozy participated remotely from a room in prison, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, and who have made this difficult experience tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I never imagined at this stage of life, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial that has been imposed on me. I admit it’s difficult, extremely tough. It has an impact on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”

First of Its Kind

He, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, set a precedent as past president from the EU and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to serve time in prison.

Prior to imprisonment he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity for authoring a memoir.

Reading Material

It remains unclear whether he had time to go through the three books he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, in which a wrongfully accused individual is sentenced to jail later flees to exact retribution.

Daily Reality

He remained in isolation due to safety concerns in a cell roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom in the Paris jail in the city. Security personnel were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

Reports indicated that he consumed just yogurt during his stay because he feared meals provided may have been contaminated. Although he had access to cook for himself but he turned this down, as per accounts. Not known is if he will detail meals during incarceration.

Defense Viewpoint

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain each day while he was in prison, told the release hearing he would be safer released rather than in custody. “He received threats against his life, listened to yells after dark and the urgent intervention next door during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Case Background

He entered custody in late October when a Paris court imposed five years in prison for illegal collaboration related to a plan to secure political donations for his presidential bid.

He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, and another court case set for next spring.