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Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a book next month called Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts the period spent in jail.

This news came just 11 days following the former president was released while his appeal proceeds the court ruling related to criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to secure political financing provided by the regime of former Libyan leader.

Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts

“Behind bars visibility is limited, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, suggesting the account is more about his reflections during seclusion instead of extensive analysis on the overcrowded and crisis-hit French prison system.

“Quiet is absent, which is missing in La Santé, where noise is constant sound,” he states. “The noise unfortunately never stops. Yet, similar to barren lands, personal reflection is fortified in prison.”

Freedom Plea: Recounting the Hardship

At his release request hearing, he was present by video link from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He stated to the judge: “I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this nightmare manageable – as it truly is one.”

“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a trial that has been imposed on me. I admit it’s difficult, deeply straining. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, became the inaugural past president from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure of France to experience jail.

Ahead of his incarceration he declared he would use his time to compose an account.

Books in Prison

Unconfirmed is did he manage to go through the volumes he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual ends up incarcerated later flees to take revenge.

Life in Confinement

The former leader was placed in solitary confinement for his own security in a space roughly 100 square feet with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in the city. Security personnel occupied the next cell.

Sources mentioned that he consumed just yogurt in prison due to concerns any food may have been contaminated. Options were available to cook for himself but refused this, based on unnamed sources. It is uncertain if he will detail what he ate in prison.

Lawyer’s Statements

His attorney, Christophe Ingrain each day during the incarceration, informed the court security would be better outside jail rather than in custody. “There were death threats, listened to yells at night and emergency responses in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Charges and Sentence

His incarceration began last month when the judiciary imposed a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration related to a plan to obtain election financing during his election campaign.

He denies wrongdoing challenging the decision, and a fresh trial set for early next year.