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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a memoir in the coming weeks named Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time served in jail.

The revelation was made shortly following the former president gained freedom while he appeals the court ruling for criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to obtain political financing from the regime of the late Libyan dictator.

Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts

“Behind bars one sees little, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, implying the account will focus on his reflections while in seclusion instead of a broader observation of the strained and crisis-hit French prison system.

“Silence escapes me, not present in that facility, where there is endless commotion,” he states. “The racket unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world grows stronger in prison.”

Freedom Plea: Describing the Ordeal

While appealing for release, the former leader was present by video link from his cell, depicting prison life as gruelling. He had told the court: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who have made this ordeal bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I never imagined at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a trial I must endure. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It has an impact on any prisoner due to its intensity.”

Historical Context

Sarkozy, who served as France’s president between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as past president of an EU country and the first postwar leader of France to experience jail.

Before entering jail he had said he intended to spend the period to write a book.

Cell Library

Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to review and analyze the volumes he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo, in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but escapes to exact retribution.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy remained in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a space approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail in Paris. Guards occupied a neighbouring cell.

Sources mentioned that he had eaten only yoghurts during his stay due to concerns any food could have been tampered with. Although he had access to prepare his own meals but refused this, according to reports. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.

Legal Perspective

His attorney, who saw him regularly daily while he was in prison, informed the court his safety would improve released compared to inside. “He received death threats, listened to yells after dark and emergency responses in a neighbouring cell as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Legal Proceedings

His incarceration began on 21 October when a Paris court gave him a half-decade term on conspiracy charges related to a plan to secure election financing for his 2007 presidential race.

He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial planned for next spring.