The Former French President to Pen Jail Diary Detailing Two Dozen Days In Custody
Nicolas Sarkozy plans a memoir in the coming weeks called Notes from a Cell, which recounts his time served in custody.
The announcement was made shortly after the ex-leader was released while he contests his conviction related to illegal collaboration in a case to acquire political financing provided by the government of the late Libyan dictator.
Time in Custody: Solitary Musings
“Inside jail there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he notes in an extract, suggesting the memoir will focus on his thoughts during solitary confinement rather than wider commentary on the overcrowded and struggling jail system in France.
“I forget silence, not present in La Santé, where there is endless commotion,” he adds. “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, he participated remotely from inside the facility, depicting prison life as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I wish to commend those working in the jail, showing great humanity, and who have made this difficult experience bearable – because it is a nightmare.”
“It never crossed my mind at this stage of life, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It affects one on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”
First of Its Kind
Sarkozy, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, was the first former head from the EU and the first leader since WWII of France to experience jail.
Ahead of his incarceration he declared he intended to spend the period for authoring a memoir.
Reading Material
It remains unclear if he found the opportunity to go through the volumes he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the classic tale, a plot where a blameless person is imprisoned but escapes to seek vengeance.
Prison Conditions
Sarkozy remained secluded to protect him in a room of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail located in the capital. Security personnel stayed in a neighbouring cell.
Sources mentioned that he had eaten just yogurt while inside due to concerns meals provided might have been spat on. Options were available to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, as per accounts. Not known is whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.
Legal Perspective
His attorney, who visited his client every day while he was in prison, told the release hearing he would be safer out of prison than inside. “There were menacing messages, listened to yells after dark plus rapid actions next door as a detainee harmed themselves.”
Case Background
He entered custody in late October when a French court imposed a half-decade term for illegal collaboration related to a plan to obtain election financing during his election campaign.
He disputes the charges challenging the decision, and a fresh trial set for early next year.
