🔗 Share this article

Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a memoir in the coming weeks titled Notes from a Cell, detailing the period served behind bars.

The announcement emerged less than two weeks after Sarkozy left prison as his appeal proceeds the court ruling for unlawful coordination connected to efforts to secure presidential race money provided by the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.

Time in Custody: Personal Reflections

“Behind bars one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he notes in a preview, implying the book centers around his reflections from solitary confinement instead of extensive analysis on the overcrowded and troubled French prison system.

“Quiet is absent, not present at the prison, where one hears a lot to hear,” he continues. “The racket unfortunately never stops. But, just like the desert, inner life grows stronger while incarcerated.”

Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal

At his release request hearing, Sarkozy had appeared via screen from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He stated to the judge: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, and who have made this ordeal tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It has an impact on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”

Historical Context

Sarkozy, who led the nation for a five-year term, was the first ex-leader of an EU country and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to be incarcerated.

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

Cell Library

It is not certain whether he had time to review and analyze the volumes he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned then breaks out to exact retribution.

Prison Conditions

He was placed in solitary confinement for his own security in a space of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail located in the capital. Guards were stationed in an adjacent room.

It was stated that he had eaten just yogurt during his stay because he feared meals provided may have been contaminated. Options were available to cook for himself but he turned this down, based on unnamed sources. Not known is if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

The legal representative, who saw him regularly every day while he was in prison, informed the court he would be safer released rather than in custody. “He has faced death threats, listened to yells during nighttime plus rapid actions in an adjacent room as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Case Background

His incarceration began last month following the judiciary gave him a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain election financing for his 2007 presidential race.

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