The Former French President to Pen Jail Diary Chronicling Two Dozen Days Behind Bars
Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a personal account next month called Notes from a Cell, which recounts his time spent behind bars.
This news was made just 11 days after Sarkozy gained freedom while his appeal proceeds the court ruling on charges of unlawful coordination connected to efforts to acquire political financing from the government of Muammar Gaddafi.
Time in Custody: Personal Reflections
“Inside jail visibility is limited, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, suggesting the memoir is more about his reflections while in seclusion rather than wider commentary on the strained and crisis-hit correctional facilities in the country.
“Quiet is absent, not present at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he states. “The noise is alas constant. But, just like the desert, personal reflection is strengthened behind bars.”
Release Hearing: Sharing the Struggle
During his plea for freedom, Sarkozy participated via screen from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, easing this nightmare tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”
“It never crossed my mind at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s an ordeal I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, extremely tough. It has an impact all who experience it due to its intensity.”
Unprecedented Situation
Sarkozy, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural ex-leader in the European Union and the first leader since WWII of France to experience jail.
Ahead of his incarceration he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity to compose an account.
Reading Material
Unconfirmed is did he manage to read and critique the volumes he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, a plot where an innocent man ends up incarcerated but escapes to exact retribution.
Life in Confinement
He remained in isolation for his own security in a cell roughly 100 square feet with his own shower and toilet at La Santé prison in the city. Two bodyguards were stationed in an adjacent room.
It was stated his diet consisted only yoghurts during his stay due to concerns any food may have been contaminated. He had facilities to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, based on unnamed sources. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about meals during incarceration.
Legal Perspective
Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly every day during the incarceration, told the release hearing he would be safer outside jail than inside. “He has faced death threats, heard shouts at night and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room as a detainee harmed themselves.”
Case Background
He entered custody in late October following a French court sentenced him to a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges over a scheme to secure campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.
He denies wrongdoing and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial is scheduled for early next year.
