Nicolas Sarkozy to Pen Jail Diary Chronicling His 20 Days Behind Bars
Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a memoir next month called Notes from a Cell, which recounts his time endured behind bars.
The revelation emerged just 11 days following the ex-leader left prison as he appeals the guilty verdict related to criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to obtain election campaign funds provided by the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Life Behind Bars: Inner Thoughts
“Inside jail one sees little, and nothing to do,” he reflects in one passage, indicating the memoir centers around his thoughts from isolation as opposed to a broader observation regarding the strained and crisis-hit French prison system.
“I forget silence, which is missing at the prison, where there is constant sound,” he continues. “The noise is alas constant. But, just like the desert, one’s inner world is fortified while incarcerated.”
Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship
During his plea for freedom, the former leader participated by video link from inside the facility, depicting prison life as exhausting. He stated to the judge: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this ordeal manageable – since it’s deeply troubling.”
“I never imagined at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. I admit it’s difficult, extremely tough. It affects one on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”
First of Its Kind
The former president, who served as France’s president between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural former head from the EU and the first leader since WWII from France to experience jail.
Before entering jail he mentioned he planned to utilize the opportunity to write a book.
Books in Prison
Unconfirmed is whether he had time to go through the volumes he had in his cell: a two-volume biography of Jesus together with Dumas’s work the classic tale, a plot where a blameless person is sentenced to jail later flees to seek vengeance.
Life in Confinement
Sarkozy remained in isolation for his own security in a cell of about nine sq metres including private facilities at La Santé prison located in the capital. Guards stayed in an adjacent room.
Reports indicated that he consumed just yogurt during his stay due to concerns prison cuisine might have been spat on. He had facilities for self-catering yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.
Defense Viewpoint
His attorney, who visited his client every day throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings his safety would improve out of prison than inside. “He received threats against his life, listened to yells after dark and the urgent intervention next door as a detainee harmed themselves.”
Charges and Sentence
His incarceration began in late October when a French court sentenced him to five years in prison on conspiracy charges over a scheme to acquire campaign funds during his election campaign.
He disputes the charges and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial is scheduled for next spring.
