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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a memoir next month named Diary of a Prisoner, detailing his time served behind bars.

The revelation came less than two weeks following the ex-leader gained freedom as his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict related to criminal conspiracy in a case to acquire election campaign funds linked to the government of the late Libyan dictator.

Life Behind Bars: Inner Thoughts

“Inside jail there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in a preview, implying the memoir is more about his thoughts while in isolation instead of extensive analysis regarding the packed and troubled French prison system.

“Silence escapes me, not present at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he continues. “The racket unfortunately never stops. But, just like the desert, inner life is strengthened in prison.”

Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship

At his release request hearing, Sarkozy was present by video link from inside the facility, depicting prison life as exhausting. He had told the court: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this ordeal manageable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark all who experience it due to its intensity.”

First of Its Kind

He, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as former head of an EU country and the initial post-WWII figure from France to serve time in prison.

Ahead of his incarceration he mentioned he intended to spend the period to compose an account.

Cell Library

It is not certain if he found the opportunity to review and analyze the volumes he had in his cell: a life story of Jesus spanning two books plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, where an innocent man ends up incarcerated but escapes to exact retribution.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy was held secluded due to safety concerns in a space approximately nine square meters including private facilities at the correctional facility located in the capital. Security personnel occupied a neighbouring cell.

Reports indicated that he had eaten just yogurt while inside worried that meals provided may have been contaminated. He had facilities for self-catering yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.

Legal Perspective

The legal representative, who saw him regularly every day during the incarceration, told the release hearing he would be safer out of prison compared to inside. “He has faced threats against his life, listened to yells at night and emergency responses in an adjacent room during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Charges and Sentence

His incarceration began on 21 October following a French court gave him a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.

He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial planned for early next year.