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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a personal account next month titled A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing his experience served behind bars.

The revelation emerged shortly after the former president was released while his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict for criminal conspiracy in a case to secure election campaign funds linked to the regime of former Libyan leader.

Life Behind Bars: Solitary Musings

“Behind bars visibility is limited, and nothing to do,” he reflects in an extract, implying the account is more about his musings from solitary confinement rather than a broader observation on the strained and troubled French prison system.

“Quiet is absent, which doesn’t exist in La Santé, where there is constant sound,” he adds. “The noise unfortunately never stops. But, just like the desert, personal reflection is fortified while incarcerated.”

Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal

During his plea for freedom, Sarkozy was present via screen from a room in prison, describing his time inside as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I wish to commend the correctional officers, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this ordeal tolerable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s an ordeal forced upon me. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It affects one every inmate as it’s exhausting.”

First of Its Kind

Sarkozy, who led the nation from 2007 to 2012, became the inaugural former head of an EU country and the first postwar leader from France to be incarcerated.

Before entering jail he mentioned he planned to utilize the opportunity for authoring a memoir.

Cell Library

It is not certain did he manage to read and critique the texts he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, where a blameless person ends up incarcerated then breaks out to exact retribution.

Life in Confinement

The former leader was placed in isolation due to safety concerns in a space roughly 100 square feet with his own shower and toilet at La Santé prison located in the capital. Two bodyguards occupied an adjacent room.

Sources mentioned that he had eaten only yoghurts during his stay because he feared any food could have been tampered with. He had facilities for self-catering but he turned this down, according to reports. Not known is if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

The legal representative, Christophe Ingrain each day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings security would be better released than inside. “There were threats against his life, heard shouts at night and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Charges and Sentence

He entered custody last month after a Paris court sentenced him to a half-decade term on conspiracy charges related to a plan to obtain campaign funds during his election campaign.

He disputes the charges and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial planned for early next year.