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Nicolas Sarkozy plans a book in the coming weeks titled Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts his time served in custody.

This news came just 11 days after the ex-leader was released while he contests the guilty verdict on charges of criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to obtain presidential race money provided by the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts

“In prison one sees little, and nothing to do,” he notes in an extract, implying the book is more about his reflections during seclusion rather than extensive analysis on the overcrowded and struggling French prison system.

“Silence escapes me, which is missing in that facility, where one hears endless commotion,” he adds. “The din is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, personal reflection is fortified while incarcerated.”

Freedom Plea: Recounting the Hardship

At his release request hearing, the former leader was present remotely from inside the facility, depicting prison life as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, and who have made this ordeal manageable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I never imagined that in my seventies, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It leaves a mark all who experience it due to its intensity.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as former head from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure from France to experience jail.

Before entering jail he declared he planned to utilize the opportunity to compose an account.

Reading Material

It remains unclear did he manage to go through the volumes he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the classic tale, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual is sentenced to jail later flees to seek vengeance.

Life in Confinement

The former leader was placed in isolation due to safety concerns in a room roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom in the Paris jail in the city. Two bodyguards were stationed in an adjacent room.

It was stated that he had eaten solely dairy snacks in prison worried that prison cuisine could have been tampered with. Although he had access to prepare his own meals yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains if he will detail his dietary choices.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain each day while he was in prison, told the release hearing he would be safer outside jail compared to inside. “He received death threats, listened to yells at night and the urgent intervention next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Legal Proceedings

Sarkozy went to prison on 21 October following a Paris court gave him a half-decade term for illegal collaboration related to a plan to acquire election financing for his 2007 presidential race.

He disputes the charges and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial planned for next spring.