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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a personal account in the coming weeks named Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts his time spent in jail.

This news was made less than two weeks following the former president gained freedom as his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict related to unlawful coordination in a case to secure election campaign funds linked to the government of Muammar Gaddafi.

Time in Custody: Solitary Musings

“Behind bars one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he notes in one passage, suggesting the memoir is more about his thoughts while in seclusion rather than wider commentary of the strained and crisis-hit jail system in France.

“Quiet is absent, not present in La Santé, where one hears endless commotion,” he adds. “The din is alas constant. But, just like the desert, personal reflection is strengthened while incarcerated.”

Freedom Plea: Describing the Ordeal

At his release request hearing, he participated remotely from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He had told the court: “I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, and who have made this difficult experience manageable – as it truly is one.”

“I didn’t expect that in my seventies, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, deeply straining. It affects one every inmate as it’s exhausting.”

Historical Context

He, who led the nation from 2007 to 2012, set a precedent as past president from the EU and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to experience jail.

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

Reading Material

Unconfirmed is whether he had time to go through the texts he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo, in which a wrongfully accused individual is sentenced to jail but escapes to seek vengeance.

Daily Reality

Sarkozy was held secluded for his own security in a space of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in Paris. Two bodyguards stayed in the next cell.

Sources mentioned that he had eaten just yogurt in prison worried that meals provided might have been spat on. Options were available for self-catering but he turned this down, according to reports. Unclear remains if he will detail his dietary choices.

Lawyer’s Statements

The legal representative, who visited his client daily throughout the jail term, informed the court he would be safer outside jail rather than in custody. “He received threats against his life, heard shouts during nighttime and emergency responses next door during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Case Background

His incarceration began last month following the judiciary gave him five years in prison for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to acquire political donations during his election campaign.

He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial is scheduled for early next year.