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Nicolas Sarkozy plans a personal account in the coming weeks called Diary of a Prisoner, detailing his experience endured in jail.

This news came shortly after Sarkozy was released while he appeals his conviction on charges of unlawful coordination connected to efforts to obtain political financing provided by the leadership of former Libyan leader.

Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts

“Inside jail visibility is limited, with little to occupy time,” he notes in an extract, suggesting the memoir is more about his thoughts while in solitary confinement as opposed to a broader observation of the overcrowded and troubled correctional facilities in the country.

“Silence escapes me, not present at the prison, where one hears constant sound,” he continues. “The racket persists relentlessly. Yet, similar to barren lands, inner life is fortified behind bars.”

Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal

At his release request hearing, Sarkozy had appeared via screen from a room in prison, describing his time inside as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, and who have made this nightmare manageable – as it truly is one.”

“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial that has been imposed on me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It affects one on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”

First of Its Kind

He, who served as France’s president between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural ex-leader from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure from France to serve time in prison.

Prior to imprisonment he declared he would use his time to compose an account.

Cell Library

Unconfirmed is did he manage to review and analyze the three books he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the famous story, a plot where a blameless person is imprisoned later flees to seek vengeance.

Life in Confinement

The former leader remained in solitary confinement to protect him in a room of about nine sq metres including private facilities at La Santé prison in Paris. Two bodyguards occupied the next cell.

It was stated that he had eaten just yogurt while inside due to concerns meals provided may have been contaminated. He had facilities to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, as per accounts. Not known is if he will detail meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

The legal representative, who saw him regularly every day while he was in prison, told the release hearing security would be better out of prison than inside. “He received threats against his life, heard shouts at night and the urgent intervention next door during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Charges and Sentence

His incarceration began in late October when a French court imposed five years in prison for illegal collaboration in connection with efforts to obtain election financing during his election campaign.

He maintains his innocence and is contesting the ruling, with a new trial set for early next year.