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Nicolas Sarkozy plans a personal account in the coming weeks named Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time spent behind bars.

This news was made shortly after the former president left prison while his appeal proceeds the court ruling related to criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to acquire election campaign funds from the government of Muammar Gaddafi.

Life Behind Bars: Inner Thoughts

“In prison there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in a preview, implying the account will focus on his musings while in solitary confinement as opposed to a broader observation of the overcrowded and crisis-hit correctional facilities in the country.

“I forget silence, which is missing at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he states. “The racket unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world is fortified in prison.”

Freedom Plea: Sharing the Struggle

At his release request hearing, the former leader had appeared by video link from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute the correctional officers, displaying remarkable compassion, and who have made this nightmare tolerable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I never imagined that in my seventies, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial I must endure. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, extremely tough. It has an impact every inmate because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, set a precedent as former head of an EU country and the first leader since WWII from France to experience jail.

Before entering jail he declared he intended to spend the period to write a book.

Reading Material

Unconfirmed is did he manage to review and analyze the three books he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work the classic tale, in which a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned later flees to exact retribution.

Prison Conditions

The former leader was placed in isolation for his own security in a space of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail in Paris. Security personnel stayed in an adjacent room.

Reports indicated that he had eaten solely dairy snacks in prison because he feared any food might have been spat on. He had facilities for self-catering yet he declined, as per accounts. Not known is if he will detail what he ate in prison.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain every day while he was in prison, told the release hearing he would be safer out of prison than inside. “He received menacing messages, has heard screaming after dark plus rapid actions in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Case Background

He entered custody last month when a Paris court sentenced him to five years in prison for illegal collaboration in connection with efforts to secure election financing for his presidential bid.

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