Nicolas Sarkozy Preparing to Release Jail Diary Detailing His 20 Days Behind Bars
The ex-president of France will soon publish a personal account next month called Diary of a Prisoner, detailing his experience served in jail.
The revelation came shortly after the former president gained freedom while his appeal proceeds the court ruling for illegal collaboration connected to efforts to obtain election campaign funds provided by the government of Muammar Gaddafi.
Prison Experience: Solitary Musings
“Inside jail visibility is limited, and activities are scarce,” he notes in an extract, suggesting the account is more about his reflections during isolation as opposed to extensive analysis on the overcrowded and struggling correctional facilities in the country.
“I forget silence, which is missing in La Santé, where one hears constant sound,” he states. “The din is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world is fortified behind bars.”
Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship
During his plea for freedom, he participated by video link from his cell, describing his time inside as exhausting. He stated to the judge: “I wish to commend the correctional officers, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this difficult experience bearable – as it truly is one.”
“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal that has been imposed on me. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It has an impact on any prisoner due to its intensity.”
Historical Context
The former president, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, was the first ex-leader from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure in the French Republic to be incarcerated.
Before entering jail he mentioned he planned to utilize the opportunity to compose an account.
Books in Prison
It is not certain if he found the opportunity to go through the three books he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, in which a blameless person is sentenced to jail but escapes to exact retribution.
Life in Confinement
Sarkozy remained secluded due to safety concerns in a room roughly 100 square feet with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility located in the capital. Two bodyguards stayed in a neighbouring cell.
Reports indicated his diet consisted only yoghurts in prison because he feared meals provided might have been spat on. Options were available to cook for himself but he turned this down, as per accounts. Unclear remains if he will detail his dietary choices.
Lawyer’s Statements
His attorney, Christophe Ingrain each day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings his safety would improve outside jail rather than in custody. “He has faced death threats, heard shouts during nighttime and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Legal Proceedings
His incarceration began on 21 October when the judiciary imposed a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to secure political donations for his presidential bid.
He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial set for next spring.
