Nicolas Sarkozy Set to Write Prison Memoir Chronicling Two Dozen Days In Custody
The ex-president of France plans a book in the coming weeks titled Notes from a Cell, detailing his time served in custody.
The revelation came less than two weeks following the former president gained freedom as he contests the guilty verdict for illegal collaboration in a case to obtain political financing from the regime of the late Libyan dictator.
Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts
“Behind bars one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he notes in a preview, indicating the account centers around his musings from seclusion rather than wider commentary on the packed and struggling jail system in France.
“Quiet is absent, which is missing at the prison, where there is constant sound,” he states. “The noise is alas constant. But, just like the desert, personal reflection is strengthened behind bars.”
Freedom Plea: Recounting the Hardship
While appealing for release, Sarkozy was present by video link from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this nightmare manageable – because it is a nightmare.”
“It never crossed my mind that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, extremely tough. It has an impact all who experience it due to its intensity.”
Unprecedented Situation
The former president, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as ex-leader from the EU and the first postwar leader in the French Republic to be incarcerated.
Ahead of his incarceration he had said he intended to spend the period to compose an account.
Reading Material
It remains unclear whether he had time to read and critique the three books he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus together with Dumas’s work the classic tale, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual ends up incarcerated then breaks out to exact retribution.
Prison Conditions
Sarkozy was held in isolation due to safety concerns in a cell of about nine sq metres including private facilities at La Santé prison located in the capital. Two bodyguards stayed in the next cell.
Reports indicated his diet consisted just yogurt in prison worried that meals provided might have been spat on. Options were available for self-catering yet he declined, as per accounts. Not known is if the memoir includes his dietary choices.
Lawyer’s Statements
The legal representative, Christophe Ingrain daily while he was in prison, informed the court his safety would improve released than inside. “He has faced menacing messages, listened to yells after dark and emergency responses next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Charges and Sentence
He entered custody last month following a Paris court gave him a half-decade term for illegal collaboration in connection with efforts to secure election financing for his 2007 presidential race.
He disputes the charges and is contesting the ruling, with a new trial set for early next year.