Nicolas Sarkozy to Pen Jail Diary Detailing His 20 Days In Custody
The ex-president of France is preparing a memoir next month named Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his experience spent in jail.
The announcement was made just 11 days following Sarkozy gained freedom as he contests the court ruling for illegal collaboration connected to efforts to secure election campaign funds linked to the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.
Time in Custody: Solitary Musings
“Inside jail there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he notes in a preview, suggesting the account will focus on his reflections during solitary confinement rather than extensive analysis regarding the strained and struggling jail system in France.
“Silence escapes me, not present at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he continues. “The noise persists relentlessly. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world is strengthened in prison.”
Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal
During his plea for freedom, he was present via screen from his cell, depicting prison life as gruelling. He expressed in court: “I wish to commend the correctional officers, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this ordeal bearable – because it is a nightmare.”
“I didn’t expect at this stage of life, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It leaves a mark all who experience it because it’s gruelling.”
First of Its Kind
The former president, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural past president in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure of France to experience jail.
Before entering jail he had said he would use his time to compose an account.
Cell Library
It is not certain whether he had time to go through the volumes he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, where an innocent man is sentenced to jail later flees to take revenge.
Life in Confinement
The former leader was placed secluded due to safety concerns in a cell of about nine sq metres including private facilities at the correctional facility in the city. Security personnel occupied a neighbouring cell.
Sources mentioned that he had eaten just yogurt in prison worried that prison cuisine may have been contaminated. Options were available to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, as per accounts. Unclear remains if the memoir includes what he ate in prison.
Legal Perspective
Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly each day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings his safety would improve outside jail than inside. “He received menacing messages, has heard screaming at night and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”
Case Background
He entered custody in late October after a French court gave him a half-decade term on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to acquire campaign funds during his election campaign.
He disputes the charges and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial is scheduled for the coming spring.