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The ex-president of France is preparing a memoir this autumn named A Prisoner’s Diary, which recounts his time spent behind bars.

The revelation was made less than two weeks following Sarkozy gained freedom as his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict related to illegal collaboration connected to efforts to acquire election campaign funds provided by the government of former Libyan leader.

Time in Custody: Personal Reflections

“Inside jail visibility is limited, with little to occupy time,” he reflects in an extract, indicating the account is more about his musings during seclusion instead of a broader observation on the overcrowded and troubled jail system in France.

“Quiet is absent, which is missing in La Santé, where one hears constant sound,” he states. “The din is alas constant. But, just like the desert, personal reflection grows stronger in prison.”

Freedom Plea: Recounting the Hardship

At his release request hearing, the former leader had appeared by video link from a room in prison, describing his time inside as draining. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute the correctional officers, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this difficult experience tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal I must endure. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”

Unprecedented Situation

The former president, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, was the first ex-leader of an EU country and the initial post-WWII figure from France to be incarcerated.

Prior to imprisonment he declared he planned to utilize the opportunity to compose an account.

Reading Material

It is not certain whether he had time to go through the volumes he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work the famous story, a plot where a blameless person is sentenced to jail then breaks out to take revenge.

Daily Reality

The former leader was placed secluded due to safety concerns in a room roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility in Paris. Two bodyguards stayed in a neighbouring cell.

It was stated that he consumed just yogurt while inside because he feared meals provided could have been tampered with. He had facilities to prepare his own meals but refused this, according to reports. Unclear remains if he will detail meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly every day throughout the jail term, informed the court he would be safer outside jail than inside. “He has faced death threats, listened to yells during nighttime and emergency responses next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Case Background

His incarceration began last month following the judiciary gave him a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges over a scheme to acquire political donations for his presidential bid.

He denies wrongdoing challenging the decision, with a new trial planned for early next year.