The ex-president of France will soon publish a book this autumn titled Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time endured in jail.
The revelation emerged less than two weeks following Sarkozy gained freedom as his appeal proceeds the court ruling on charges of illegal collaboration connected to efforts to acquire presidential race money provided by the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.
Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts
“In prison there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he reflects in one passage, indicating the account will focus on his reflections while in solitary confinement as opposed to wider commentary of the packed and troubled French prison system.
“Silence escapes me, which is missing in that facility, where noise is endless commotion,” he adds. “The noise persists relentlessly. But, just like the desert, personal reflection is strengthened behind bars.”
Release Hearing: Sharing the Struggle
While appealing for release, he participated remotely from inside the facility, depicting prison life as exhausting. He had told the court: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this ordeal bearable – because it is a nightmare.”
“I never imagined that in my seventies, I’d be in prison. It’s an ordeal I must endure. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It affects one all who experience it due to its intensity.”
Unprecedented Situation
He, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural past president in the European Union and the first postwar leader from France to serve time in prison.
Ahead of his incarceration he had said he intended to spend the period to compose an account.
Books in Prison
Unconfirmed is whether he had time to read and critique the texts 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 sentenced to jail later flees to take revenge.
Daily Reality
Sarkozy was placed secluded to protect him in a room roughly 100 square feet with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in Paris. Two bodyguards occupied an adjacent room.
It was stated his diet consisted solely dairy snacks during his stay because he feared prison cuisine could have been tampered with. He had facilities to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, according to reports. Not known is if the memoir includes what he ate in prison.
Lawyer’s Statements
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain daily while he was in prison, told the release hearing he would be safer out of prison rather than in custody. “There were menacing messages, has heard screaming after dark and emergency responses in an adjacent room during an inmate’s self-injury.”
Charges and Sentence
He entered custody last month when a Paris court imposed five years in prison on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to acquire campaign funds during his election campaign.
He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, with a new trial is scheduled for next spring.
