Nicolas Sarkozy Preparing to Release Jail Diary Documenting Three Weeks In Custody
The ex-president of France plans a personal account in the coming weeks named Notes from a Cell, chronicling his time endured in jail.
The announcement was made shortly following Sarkozy gained freedom as he contests his conviction for criminal conspiracy in a case to acquire presidential race money from the government of the late Libyan dictator.
Time in Custody: Solitary Musings
“Behind bars one sees little, with little to occupy time,” he reflects in a preview, implying the book centers around his reflections from solitary confinement rather than extensive analysis on the strained and struggling French prison system.
“Silence escapes me, which doesn’t exist at the prison, where one hears a lot to hear,” he states. “The din unfortunately never stops. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world is strengthened in prison.”
Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle
During his plea for freedom, the former leader had appeared via screen from his cell, describing his time inside as gruelling. He had told the court: “I want to pay tribute the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this nightmare manageable – because it is a nightmare.”
“It never crossed my mind at this stage of life, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal I must endure. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It affects one all who experience it due to its intensity.”
First of Its Kind
Sarkozy, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, became the inaugural past president in the European Union and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to experience jail.
Prior to imprisonment he mentioned he would use his time for authoring a memoir.
Reading Material
It remains unclear whether he had time to review and analyze the texts he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual is sentenced to jail then breaks out to take revenge.
Daily Reality
The former leader was held secluded due to safety concerns in a cell of about nine sq metres including private facilities at La Santé prison in Paris. Guards stayed in a neighbouring cell.
It was stated his diet consisted only yoghurts while inside due to concerns any food might have been spat on. He had facilities to prepare his own meals but refused this, according to reports. It is uncertain if he will detail his dietary choices.
Legal Perspective
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain each day during the incarceration, told the release hearing his safety would improve out of prison than inside. “He received menacing messages, heard shouts during nighttime and the urgent intervention next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Legal Proceedings
He entered custody in late October after a Paris court gave him a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration related to a plan to obtain political donations for his 2007 presidential race.
He denies wrongdoing and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial set for early next year.
