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The ex-president of France is preparing a book in the coming weeks named A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing his time served in custody.

This news was made just 11 days following Sarkozy gained freedom as his appeal proceeds the court ruling related to criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to obtain election campaign funds provided by the government of former Libyan leader.

Time in Custody: Personal Reflections

“In prison there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he writes in one passage, suggesting the memoir is more about his reflections during isolation as opposed to a broader observation on the packed and crisis-hit French prison system.

“I forget silence, not present in that facility, where one hears a lot to hear,” he states. “The din is alas constant. But, just like the desert, one’s inner world grows stronger behind bars.”

Release Hearing: Sharing the Struggle

While appealing for release, Sarkozy had appeared remotely from inside the facility, depicting prison life as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute 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’d be in prison. It’s an ordeal that has been imposed on me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It affects one on any prisoner due to its intensity.”

First of Its Kind

Sarkozy, who led the nation from 2007 to 2012, set a precedent as former head in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure of France to be incarcerated.

Prior to imprisonment he had said he would use his time for authoring a memoir.

Reading Material

It remains unclear whether he had time to review and analyze the three books he took into prison: a life story of Jesus spanning two books plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but escapes to take revenge.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy was held secluded to protect him in a cell of about nine sq metres featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility in the city. Two bodyguards occupied the next cell.

Sources mentioned that he consumed solely dairy snacks in prison because he feared meals provided might have been spat on. He had facilities to prepare his own meals yet he declined, as per accounts. Unclear remains if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

His attorney, Christophe Ingrain every day throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings his safety would improve released compared to inside. “He has faced menacing messages, has heard screaming at night plus rapid actions in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Charges and Sentence

He entered custody in late October when a French court sentenced him to a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to acquire political donations for his 2007 presidential race.

He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial set for early next year.