The Former French President to Pen Prison Memoir Chronicling His 20 Days In Custody
The ex-president of France will soon publish a memoir next month named Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts his time spent in custody.
The revelation came just 11 days after Sarkozy left prison as he contests the guilty verdict related to criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to obtain political financing provided by the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.
Time in Custody: Personal Reflections
“Inside jail one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he writes in a preview, implying the account will focus on his reflections from solitary confinement instead of wider commentary on the overcrowded and struggling correctional facilities in the country.
“Quiet is absent, which is missing in La Santé, where one hears a lot to hear,” he adds. “The din unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world is strengthened while incarcerated.”
Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal
During his plea for freedom, he was present via screen from a room in prison, depicting prison life as exhausting. He stated to the judge: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this nightmare bearable – as it truly is one.”
“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a trial that has been imposed on me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, extremely tough. It has an impact on any prisoner due to its intensity.”
Historical Context
He, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, was the first former head from the EU and the first postwar leader of France to be incarcerated.
Ahead of his incarceration he declared he would use his time to write a book.
Reading Material
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 famous story, where a blameless person is sentenced to jail but escapes to take revenge.
Prison Conditions
He was held secluded for his own security in a space roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility in Paris. Guards were stationed in the next cell.
Reports indicated his diet consisted just yogurt in prison because he feared prison cuisine might have been spat on. Although he had access for self-catering yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. Not known is whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.
Legal Perspective
The legal representative, who saw him regularly each day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings he would be safer outside jail than inside. “There were menacing messages, listened to yells at night plus rapid actions next door during an inmate’s self-injury.”
Charges and Sentence
Sarkozy went to prison on 21 October when a French court imposed a half-decade term on conspiracy charges related to a plan to secure election financing for his presidential bid.
He disputes the charges and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial planned for early next year.
