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Nicolas Sarkozy plans a memoir next month titled A Prisoner’s Diary, which recounts the period endured in jail.

This news was made less than two weeks following the former president was released as he appeals the court ruling on charges of criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to acquire political financing provided by the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

Life Behind Bars: Personal Reflections

“Behind bars there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in a preview, implying the memoir centers around his reflections from seclusion instead of wider commentary of the strained and troubled French prison system.

“I forget silence, which is missing in La Santé, where one hears constant sound,” he states. “The racket persists relentlessly. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world grows stronger in prison.”

Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal

During his plea for freedom, Sarkozy was present via screen from inside the facility, depicting prison life as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, who are exceptionally humane, and who have made this difficult experience bearable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I never imagined that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It leaves a mark on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, who served as France’s president between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as ex-leader of an EU country and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to experience jail.

Ahead of his incarceration he declared he intended to spend the period to compose an account.

Reading Material

It is not certain did he manage to go through the volumes he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, a plot where a blameless person is sentenced to jail but escapes to seek vengeance.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a space roughly 100 square feet with his own shower and toilet at La Santé prison located in the capital. Guards stayed in a neighbouring cell.

Sources mentioned that he consumed solely dairy snacks during his stay due to concerns any food may have been contaminated. Although he had access to cook for himself but refused this, according to reports. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about meals during incarceration.

Legal Perspective

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain each day while he was in prison, told the release hearing he would be safer outside jail rather than in custody. “There were menacing messages, heard shouts after dark and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Charges and Sentence

Sarkozy went to prison on 21 October when the judiciary sentenced him to a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration over a scheme to obtain political donations during his election campaign.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, with a new trial is scheduled for next spring.