🔗 Share this article The Former French President to Pen Jail Diary Chronicling Three Weeks Incarcerated Nicolas Sarkozy plans a book this autumn called A Prisoner’s Diary, which recounts his experience served in jail. This news came shortly following the ex-leader left prison as he contests the guilty verdict on charges of unlawful coordination regarding a scheme to acquire political financing from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. Prison Experience: Personal Reflections “In prison there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he notes in one passage, suggesting the account centers around his thoughts during solitary confinement rather than extensive analysis of the strained and troubled French prison system. “I forget silence, not present at the prison, where one hears a lot to hear,” he states. “The din unfortunately never stops. Yet, similar to barren lands, personal reflection is strengthened in prison.” Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal At his release request hearing, he was present via screen from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He stated to the judge: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, easing this ordeal bearable – as it truly is one.” “I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It has an impact every inmate due to its intensity.” First of Its Kind The former president, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, was the first former head of an EU country and the initial post-WWII figure in the French Republic to experience jail. Ahead of his incarceration he declared he would use his time for authoring a memoir. Cell Library Unconfirmed is whether he had time to read and critique the texts he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, a plot where a blameless person is sentenced to jail but escapes to take revenge. Daily Reality He was held secluded due to safety concerns in a cell roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom in the Paris jail located in the capital. Guards occupied an adjacent room. Reports indicated his diet consisted only yoghurts while inside due to concerns prison cuisine may have been contaminated. Although he had access to prepare his own meals yet he declined, as per accounts. Not known is if the memoir includes his dietary choices. Legal Perspective His attorney, who visited his client every day during the incarceration, stated during proceedings security would be better out of prison rather than in custody. “He has faced menacing messages, heard shouts during nighttime plus rapid actions in an adjacent room during an inmate’s self-injury.” Legal Proceedings He entered custody in late October after a French court gave him a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration in connection with efforts to acquire campaign funds during his election campaign. He disputes the charges and has appealed against the verdict, and another court case is scheduled for the coming spring.