🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy Preparing to Release Jail Diary Chronicling Three Weeks In Custody The ex-president of France is preparing a personal account next month named Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time served in jail. This news came just 11 days after Sarkozy gained freedom as his appeal proceeds the court ruling on charges of criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to secure election campaign funds linked to the leadership of the late Libyan dictator. Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts “Behind bars visibility is limited, with little to occupy time,” he reflects in an extract, implying the book is more about his thoughts from solitary confinement as opposed to a broader observation of the packed and crisis-hit jail system in France. “Silence escapes me, which is missing in that facility, where one hears endless commotion,” he continues. “The noise unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, personal reflection grows stronger behind bars.” Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal At his release request hearing, the former leader was present remotely from a room in prison, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He had told the court: “I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, who are exceptionally humane, easing this ordeal manageable – because it is a nightmare.” “I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a hardship forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, deeply straining. It affects one on any prisoner due to its intensity.” First of Its Kind He, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, was the first ex-leader of an EU country and the first leader since WWII of France to be incarcerated. Prior to imprisonment he mentioned he would use his time to compose an account. Books in Prison Unconfirmed is whether he had time to go through the volumes he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, where a blameless person is imprisoned later flees to seek vengeance. Life in Confinement The former leader remained in isolation to protect him in a cell of about nine sq metres including private facilities at the correctional facility in the city. Security personnel were stationed in an adjacent room. It was stated his diet consisted only yoghurts while inside due to concerns meals provided may have been contaminated. Options were available to cook for himself yet he declined, according to reports. It is uncertain if the memoir includes what he ate in prison. Lawyer’s Statements Sarkozy’s lawyer, who visited his client every day during the incarceration, informed the court security would be better outside jail rather than in custody. “There were threats against his life, listened to yells after dark and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room during an inmate’s self-injury.” Legal Proceedings He entered custody on 21 October when a French court imposed five years in prison for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to acquire campaign funds during his election campaign. He denies wrongdoing and is contesting the ruling, and another court case is scheduled for the coming spring.