🔗 Share this article The Former French President to Pen Prison Memoir Documenting Two Dozen Days Behind Bars Nicolas Sarkozy plans a book this autumn named A Prisoner’s Diary, chronicling the period spent behind bars. The revelation came shortly after Sarkozy gained freedom as he contests the guilty verdict related to illegal collaboration connected to efforts to obtain election campaign funds linked to the regime of the late Libyan dictator. Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts “Inside jail there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in a preview, suggesting the account will focus on his reflections during isolation rather than extensive analysis regarding the strained and crisis-hit French prison system. “Quiet is absent, which is missing in La Santé, where noise is endless commotion,” he continues. “The racket persists relentlessly. However, akin to empty spaces, personal reflection grows stronger while incarcerated.” Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle While appealing for release, Sarkozy participated remotely from inside the facility, describing his time inside as gruelling. He had told the court: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, showing great humanity, easing this ordeal tolerable – because it is a nightmare.” “It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s an ordeal that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It affects one all who experience it as it’s exhausting.” Unprecedented Situation He, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, was the first ex-leader in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure from France to serve time in prison. Prior to imprisonment he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity for authoring a memoir. Reading Material It is not certain if he found the opportunity to read and critique the three books he had in his cell: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, where a wrongfully accused individual ends up incarcerated later flees to take revenge. Life in Confinement Sarkozy remained secluded for his own security in a cell approximately nine square meters including private facilities at La Santé prison in Paris. Security personnel were stationed in a neighbouring cell. Reports indicated that he had eaten only yoghurts while inside due to concerns prison cuisine might have been spat on. He had facilities for self-catering yet he declined, as per accounts. Unclear remains if he will detail meals during incarceration. Defense Viewpoint His attorney, who visited his client every day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings he would be safer released than inside. “He received menacing messages, has heard screaming during nighttime and emergency responses next door as a detainee harmed themselves.” Legal Proceedings His incarceration began on 21 October after the judiciary imposed a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration related to a plan to secure political donations for his 2007 presidential race. He maintains his innocence and is contesting the ruling, with a new trial planned for early next year.