The Former French President to Pen Jail Diary Detailing His 20 Days Incarcerated
The ex-president of France is preparing a personal account this autumn called A Prisoner’s Diary, which recounts the period served in jail.
The revelation was made less than two weeks following Sarkozy gained freedom as he contests the guilty verdict related to illegal collaboration regarding a scheme to obtain election campaign funds from the government of former Libyan leader.
Time in Custody: Personal Reflections
“Inside jail visibility is limited, with little to occupy time,” he notes in an extract, suggesting the account is more about his reflections while in isolation as opposed to a broader observation regarding the packed and troubled French prison system.
“Quiet is absent, which doesn’t exist at the prison, where there is endless commotion,” he continues. “The din persists relentlessly. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world grows stronger while incarcerated.”
Freedom Plea: Describing the Ordeal
During his plea for freedom, he was present by video link from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He stated to the judge: “I want to pay tribute the correctional officers, showing great humanity, and who have made this difficult experience manageable – since it’s deeply troubling.”
“It never crossed my mind 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 affects one every inmate due to its intensity.”
First of Its Kind
The former president, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, became the inaugural ex-leader of an EU country and the first postwar leader of France to experience jail.
Ahead of his incarceration he mentioned he would use his time to write a book.
Reading Material
Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to read and critique the texts he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the famous story, in which an innocent man is imprisoned but escapes to seek vengeance.
Life in Confinement
He was held in isolation for his own security in a space of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility located in the capital. Guards occupied a neighbouring cell.
Reports indicated that he consumed solely dairy snacks in prison because he feared meals provided may have been contaminated. Options were available to cook for himself but refused this, as per accounts. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about meals during incarceration.
Lawyer’s Statements
Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly each day while he was in prison, informed the court he would be safer outside jail than inside. “He received threats against his life, heard shouts during nighttime and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room as a detainee harmed themselves.”
Charges and Sentence
His incarceration began on 21 October when the judiciary sentenced him to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy in connection with efforts to obtain election financing for his presidential bid.
He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial set for early next year.
