Nicolas Sarkozy to Pen Prison Memoir Detailing Three Weeks In Custody
Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a memoir next month titled Diary of a Prisoner, detailing the period endured behind bars.
This news came shortly after the former president gained freedom while his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict on charges of criminal conspiracy in a case to obtain election campaign funds provided by the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.
Time in Custody: Solitary Musings
“Inside jail one sees little, with little to occupy time,” he writes in an extract, suggesting the account is more about his reflections from solitary confinement as opposed to extensive analysis on the packed and troubled French prison system.
“Quiet is absent, which is missing in that facility, where noise is constant sound,” he adds. “The din persists relentlessly. But, just like the desert, one’s inner world grows stronger behind bars.”
Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal
During his plea for freedom, Sarkozy had appeared remotely from inside the facility, depicting prison life as draining. He had told the court: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this nightmare manageable – as it truly is one.”
“I didn’t expect at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship I must endure. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”
Unprecedented Situation
The former president, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, set a precedent as former head of an EU country and the initial post-WWII figure in the French Republic to serve time in prison.
Before entering jail he declared he intended to spend the period to compose an account.
Reading Material
Unconfirmed is did he manage to review and analyze the texts he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, where an innocent man is sentenced to jail later flees to take revenge.
Prison Conditions
The former leader was held in isolation for his own security in a space of about nine sq metres including private facilities at the correctional facility in the city. Two bodyguards stayed in an adjacent room.
It was stated his diet consisted solely dairy snacks in prison because he feared any food may have been contaminated. He had facilities to cook for himself yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. Not known is whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.
Legal Perspective
Sarkozy’s lawyer, who visited his client every day during the incarceration, stated during proceedings his safety would improve out of prison than inside. “He has faced death threats, has heard screaming during nighttime and emergency responses in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Legal Proceedings
He entered custody last month after a French court imposed five years in prison on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to secure campaign funds during his election campaign.
He disputes the charges and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial set for the coming spring.
