The Former French President Set to Write Jail Diary Documenting His 20 Days In Custody
Nicolas Sarkozy plans a memoir this autumn named Notes from a Cell, detailing his time endured behind bars.
This news came just 11 days following the ex-leader was released as he appeals the court ruling related to unlawful coordination in a case to secure presidential race money provided by the government of former Libyan leader.
Life Behind Bars: Personal Reflections
“Inside jail one sees little, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, suggesting the book will focus on his musings while in solitary confinement as opposed to a broader observation regarding the overcrowded and crisis-hit French prison system.
“Quiet is absent, which is missing in La Santé, where there is a lot to hear,” he continues. “The racket is alas constant. But, just like the desert, personal reflection is fortified while incarcerated.”
Court Appearance: Recounting the Hardship
At his release request hearing, Sarkozy participated remotely from inside the facility, describing his time inside as draining. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, easing this nightmare manageable – because it is a nightmare.”
“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a trial forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, deeply straining. It leaves a mark every inmate because it’s gruelling.”
Unprecedented Situation
The former president, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, was the first former head of an EU country and the initial post-WWII figure from France to experience jail.
Ahead of his incarceration he declared he intended to spend the period for authoring a memoir.
Books in Prison
It remains unclear whether he had time to go through the volumes he had in his cell: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, in which a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned then breaks out to take revenge.
Daily Reality
Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a cell of about nine sq metres including private facilities at the correctional facility in the city. Two bodyguards stayed in a neighbouring cell.
Reports indicated that he consumed just yogurt during his stay because he feared meals provided may have been contaminated. Although he had access to cook for himself yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. Not known is if he will detail what he ate in prison.
Legal Perspective
His attorney, who visited his client every day throughout the jail term, informed the court he would be safer released compared to inside. “He has faced death threats, heard shouts during nighttime and emergency responses next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Legal Proceedings
His incarceration began in late October following the judiciary gave him a half-decade term for illegal collaboration in connection with efforts to obtain political donations during his election campaign.
He disputes the charges and is contesting the ruling, with a new trial set for early next year.