The Former French President Preparing to Release Prison Memoir Detailing Three Weeks Incarcerated
Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a book in the coming weeks titled A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing the period spent in jail.
The revelation emerged less than two weeks after the ex-leader gained freedom while he contests the court ruling on charges of illegal collaboration in a case to acquire political financing from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Prison Experience: Solitary Musings
“In prison one sees little, with little to occupy time,” he writes in a preview, indicating the account will focus on his reflections during solitary confinement as opposed to wider commentary of the strained and troubled jail system in France.
“Quiet is absent, which is missing in La Santé, where there is a lot to hear,” he continues. “The racket is alas constant. But, just like the desert, inner life is fortified in prison.”
Freedom Plea: Sharing the Struggle
At his release request hearing, Sarkozy participated via screen from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He expressed in court: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this nightmare tolerable – as it truly is one.”
“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”
Unprecedented Situation
He, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, was the first ex-leader from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure in the French Republic to experience jail.
Ahead of his incarceration he had said he would use his time to write a book.
Cell Library
It remains unclear if he found the opportunity to read and critique the three books he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, a plot where an innocent man ends up incarcerated then breaks out to seek vengeance.
Life in Confinement
He was held in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a cell approximately nine square meters featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility located in the capital. Guards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.
Sources mentioned that he consumed just yogurt during his stay due to concerns prison cuisine might have been spat on. He had facilities to cook for himself yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.
Lawyer’s Statements
His attorney, Christophe Ingrain daily during the incarceration, informed the court he would be safer released than inside. “He has faced death threats, listened to yells after dark and the urgent intervention next door as a detainee harmed themselves.”
Legal Proceedings
Sarkozy went to prison on 21 October after a French court sentenced him to five years in prison for illegal collaboration over a scheme to obtain campaign funds for his presidential bid.
He maintains his innocence and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial set for early next year.
