Nicolas Sarkozy to Pen Prison Memoir Detailing His 20 Days Incarcerated
The ex-president of France will soon publish a personal account this autumn called A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing his experience spent in jail.
This news came just 11 days following the ex-leader was released while he appeals the court ruling for unlawful coordination connected to efforts to secure political financing from the government of the late Libyan dictator.
Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts
“Behind bars one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he writes in an extract, suggesting the account centers around his thoughts from isolation rather than extensive analysis of the strained and crisis-hit correctional facilities in the country.
“Quiet is absent, which is missing in that facility, where one hears endless commotion,” he adds. “The noise is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, personal reflection is strengthened in prison.”
Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal
At his release request hearing, Sarkozy was present remotely from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, and who helped make this nightmare bearable – because it is a nightmare.”
“I never imagined at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It leaves a mark all who experience it due to its intensity.”
Unprecedented Situation
Sarkozy, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as ex-leader from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure of France to be incarcerated.
Ahead of his incarceration he declared he would use his time for authoring a memoir.
Reading Material
It remains unclear whether he had time to go through the volumes he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual ends up incarcerated but escapes to take revenge.
Life in Confinement
He remained in solitary confinement for his own security in a space approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in Paris. Security personnel stayed in the next cell.
It was stated his diet consisted just yogurt during his stay due to concerns any food may have been contaminated. Options were available to cook for himself but he turned this down, according to reports. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about meals during incarceration.
Legal Perspective
The legal representative, who saw him regularly each day while he was in prison, told the release hearing he would be safer released than inside. “He has faced death threats, has heard screaming at night and emergency responses next door during an inmate’s self-injury.”
Legal Proceedings
He entered custody last month following a Paris court sentenced him to a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain political donations for his 2007 presidential race.
He disputes the charges challenging the decision, with a new trial is scheduled for the coming spring.
