🔗 Share this article

The ex-president of France plans a memoir this autumn titled Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time served behind bars.

The revelation was made less than two weeks following the former president gained freedom while he contests his conviction for criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to obtain presidential race money linked to the regime of the late Libyan dictator.

Prison Experience: Personal Reflections

“In prison there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he writes in one passage, suggesting the account will focus on his reflections from solitary confinement instead of wider commentary of the overcrowded and struggling French prison system.

“Quiet is absent, not present at the prison, where noise is constant sound,” he adds. “The racket unfortunately never stops. Yet, similar to barren lands, personal reflection is strengthened while incarcerated.”

Release Hearing: Sharing the Struggle

At his release request hearing, Sarkozy was present remotely from inside the facility, describing his time inside as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this ordeal manageable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship I must endure. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It leaves a mark all who experience it due to its intensity.”

Historical Context

He, who led the nation for a five-year term, was the first ex-leader from the EU and the first leader since WWII from France to be incarcerated.

Prior to imprisonment he had said he intended to spend the period to compose an account.

Books in Prison

Unconfirmed is whether he had time to read and critique the three books he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo, a plot where an innocent man is sentenced to jail but escapes to exact retribution.

Prison Conditions

The former leader remained in isolation due to safety concerns in a room approximately nine square meters featuring a personal bathroom at La Santé prison in the city. Two bodyguards were stationed in the next cell.

It was stated that he consumed solely dairy snacks in prison because he feared any food could have been tampered with. Although he had access for self-catering but refused this, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains if the memoir includes what he ate in prison.

Defense Viewpoint

The legal representative, who visited his client each day throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings security would be better outside jail than inside. “He received menacing messages, heard shouts at night plus rapid actions next door during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Charges and Sentence

He entered custody in late October when 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, with a new trial set for the coming spring.