Nicolas Sarkozy Set to Write Jail Diary Detailing Two Dozen Days In Custody
Nicolas Sarkozy plans a memoir next month titled A Prisoner’s Diary, chronicling his time spent in custody.
The announcement was made shortly following the ex-leader gained freedom while he contests the guilty verdict on charges of illegal collaboration in a case to obtain presidential race money linked to the regime of the late Libyan dictator.
Life Behind Bars: Solitary Musings
“Inside jail there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in a preview, implying the memoir will focus on his musings during solitary confinement as opposed to extensive analysis regarding the overcrowded and crisis-hit jail system in France.
“Silence escapes me, which is missing in La Santé, where noise is endless commotion,” he continues. “The noise is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world is strengthened behind bars.”
Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle
While appealing for release, the former leader had appeared via screen from inside the facility, describing his time inside as exhausting. He stated to the judge: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, easing this difficult experience tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”
“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal forced upon me. I admit it’s difficult, deeply straining. It has an impact all who experience it due to its intensity.”
Historical Context
The former president, who led the nation from 2007 to 2012, was the first ex-leader in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure in the French Republic to experience jail.
Ahead of his incarceration he declared he would use his time to write a book.
Books in Prison
Unconfirmed is whether he had time to read and critique the three books he had in his cell: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the famous story, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned then breaks out to seek vengeance.
Prison Conditions
The former leader remained secluded for his own security in a room of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in the city. Security personnel occupied the next cell.
Reports indicated that he consumed only yoghurts during his stay worried that any food could have been tampered with. He had facilities to prepare his own meals but refused this, as per accounts. Unclear remains if the memoir includes his dietary choices.
Lawyer’s Statements
The legal representative, who visited his client each day while he was in prison, informed the court he would be safer out of prison compared to inside. “He received menacing messages, listened to yells after dark and emergency responses next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Legal Proceedings
He entered custody last month following a French court sentenced him to a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to secure election financing for his presidential bid.
He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial is scheduled for the coming spring.
