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The ex-president of France plans a personal account in the coming weeks called A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing his time served behind bars.

This news came less than two weeks after Sarkozy left prison while his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict related to unlawful coordination connected to efforts to obtain presidential race money linked to the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.

Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts

“Inside jail visibility is limited, and activities are scarce,” he notes in an extract, implying the memoir will focus on his thoughts while in seclusion instead of extensive analysis of the overcrowded and struggling jail system in France.

“I forget silence, which is missing in La Santé, where one hears constant sound,” he states. “The racket unfortunately never stops. But, just like the desert, personal reflection is strengthened behind bars.”

Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship

During his plea for freedom, Sarkozy had appeared via screen from inside the facility, depicting prison life as draining. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, showing great humanity, and who helped make this nightmare bearable – as it truly is one.”

“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship I must endure. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It affects one all who experience it due to its intensity.”

Unprecedented Situation

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

Prior to imprisonment he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity to write a book.

Cell Library

Unconfirmed is did he manage to review and analyze the volumes he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the classic tale, where an innocent man is imprisoned then breaks out to seek vengeance.

Prison Conditions

The former leader was held secluded due to safety concerns in a cell approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail in the city. Security personnel were stationed in an adjacent room.

Sources mentioned his diet consisted solely dairy snacks during his stay due to concerns prison cuisine may have been contaminated. Although he had access for self-catering but refused this, as per accounts. Unclear remains if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Legal Perspective

The legal representative, who saw him regularly each day throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings security would be better out of prison rather than in custody. “He received death threats, has heard screaming during nighttime plus rapid actions in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Charges and Sentence

Sarkozy went to prison in late October after a Paris court imposed a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to secure election financing for his 2007 presidential race.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, with a new trial is scheduled for early next year.