Nicolas Sarkozy Set to Write Jail Diary Documenting Two Dozen Days Incarcerated
The ex-president of France will soon publish a book next month titled Notes from a Cell, detailing his experience spent in custody.
The revelation was made just 11 days after Sarkozy left prison while his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict related to illegal collaboration in a case to secure presidential race money linked to the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.
Prison Experience: Solitary Musings
“Inside jail there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he notes in one passage, suggesting the book is more about his thoughts during solitary confinement rather than a broader observation regarding the overcrowded and crisis-hit correctional facilities in the country.
“I forget silence, not present in La Santé, where there is constant sound,” he adds. “The racket unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, personal reflection is strengthened behind bars.”
Freedom Plea: Sharing the Struggle
At his release request hearing, he had appeared via screen from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this nightmare bearable – as it truly is one.”
“I never imagined that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s an ordeal I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, extremely tough. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”
First of Its Kind
He, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, set a precedent as ex-leader of an EU country and the initial post-WWII figure of France to experience jail.
Before entering jail he declared he planned to utilize the opportunity to compose an account.
Books in Prison
Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to go through the three books he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo, in which an innocent man ends up incarcerated later flees to exact retribution.
Life in Confinement
The former leader was held in isolation for his own security in a cell approximately nine square meters featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility in the city. Guards stayed in an adjacent room.
Sources mentioned that he consumed only yoghurts while inside because he feared meals provided might have been spat on. He had facilities to cook for himself but he turned this down, as per accounts. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.
Legal Perspective
His attorney, who visited his client every day during the incarceration, stated during proceedings his safety would improve released rather than in custody. “He received death threats, has heard screaming at night plus rapid actions next door during an inmate’s self-injury.”
Charges and Sentence
His incarceration began last month when a Paris court gave him a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges related to a plan to secure campaign funds for his presidential bid.
He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial planned for early next year.
