Nicolas Sarkozy Set to Write Jail Diary Detailing Three Weeks Incarcerated

Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a book this autumn titled A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing the period served in custody.

The announcement came shortly after Sarkozy was released while he appeals the guilty verdict related to unlawful coordination connected to efforts to acquire political financing provided by the leadership of the late Libyan dictator.

Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts

“Inside jail visibility is limited, and activities are scarce,” he notes in an extract, indicating the book centers around his musings while in seclusion instead of extensive analysis regarding the overcrowded and struggling correctional facilities in the country.

“Silence escapes me, which is missing in that facility, where noise is endless commotion,” he adds. “The din is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, inner life is fortified behind bars.”

Court Appearance: Recounting the Hardship

At his release request hearing, he had appeared remotely from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He had told the court: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this difficult experience bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

Unprecedented Situation

He, who led the nation from 2007 to 2012, was the first past president in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure from France to be incarcerated.

Ahead of his incarceration he had said he would use his time to compose an account.

Reading Material

Unconfirmed is did he manage to review and analyze the volumes he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, in which a blameless person ends up incarcerated then breaks out to seek vengeance.

Daily Reality

Sarkozy was placed secluded for his own security in a space of about nine sq metres featuring a personal bathroom in the Paris jail located in the capital. Two bodyguards occupied an adjacent room.

Sources mentioned that he consumed solely dairy snacks during his stay worried that meals provided could have been tampered with. Options were available to prepare his own meals but refused this, based on unnamed sources. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about meals during incarceration.

Legal Perspective

His attorney, who visited his client daily during the incarceration, stated during proceedings he would be safer released rather than in custody. “He received threats against his life, has heard screaming after dark and emergency responses next door as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Case Background

Sarkozy went to prison in late October after the judiciary sentenced him to five years in prison on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to obtain political donations for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial planned for next spring.