Nicolas Sarkozy Preparing to Release Prison Memoir Chronicling His 20 Days Incarcerated
Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a memoir next month titled Diary of a Prisoner, detailing his time spent behind bars.
This news came just 11 days following the former president left prison as his appeal proceeds the court ruling related to unlawful coordination regarding a scheme to secure presidential race money from the government of Muammar Gaddafi.
Life Behind Bars: Inner Thoughts
“Inside jail there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he reflects in one passage, suggesting the account is more about his thoughts during solitary confinement instead of wider commentary regarding the overcrowded and crisis-hit French prison system.
“Silence escapes me, which is missing at the prison, where there is constant sound,” he adds. “The noise is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world is fortified while incarcerated.”
Court Appearance: Recounting the Hardship
While appealing for release, Sarkozy participated remotely from inside the facility, depicting prison life as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I wish to commend the correctional officers, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this nightmare manageable – as it truly is one.”
“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I’d be in prison. It’s an ordeal forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It affects one on any prisoner due to its intensity.”
First of Its Kind
He, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as past president from the EU and the first postwar leader from France to be incarcerated.
Prior to imprisonment he had said he would use his time to write a book.
Books in Prison
Unconfirmed is whether he had time to review and analyze the volumes he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the classic tale, a plot where an innocent man is imprisoned later flees to exact retribution.
Prison Conditions
The former leader was placed secluded for his own security in a room approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility located in the capital. Guards occupied an adjacent room.
Reports indicated that he consumed only yoghurts during his stay due to concerns meals provided could have been tampered with. Although he had access to prepare his own meals but refused this, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains if he will detail meals during incarceration.
Legal Perspective
His attorney, who visited his client daily throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings security would be better released rather than in custody. “He has faced threats against his life, heard shouts after dark plus rapid actions in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Legal Proceedings
His incarceration began in late October when a French court gave him a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration over a scheme to acquire campaign funds during his election campaign.
He disputes the charges and is contesting the ruling, with a new trial set for early next year.
