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Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a book next month called A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing his time endured in custody.

The revelation was made shortly following the former president gained freedom while he contests his conviction related to criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to obtain election campaign funds provided by the regime of the late Libyan dictator.

Time in Custody: Personal Reflections

“Inside jail there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he notes in an extract, suggesting the memoir centers around his musings while in isolation as opposed to a broader observation on the strained and crisis-hit French prison system.

“Quiet is absent, which doesn’t exist at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he adds. “The racket is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, personal reflection is strengthened while incarcerated.”

Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship

While appealing for release, Sarkozy was present by video link from a room in prison, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this difficult experience tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I didn’t expect that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a trial I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark on any prisoner due to its intensity.”

Unprecedented Situation

The former president, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, was the first ex-leader from the EU and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to be incarcerated.

Prior to imprisonment he declared he intended to spend the period to write a book.

Reading Material

It remains unclear whether he had time to go through the three books he had in his cell: a life story of Jesus spanning two books plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, where a blameless person is sentenced to jail but escapes to exact retribution.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy was placed in solitary confinement to protect him in a space roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility in the city. Two bodyguards occupied an adjacent room.

Reports indicated his diet consisted only yoghurts while inside because he feared any food may have been contaminated. Although he had access to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, as per accounts. It is uncertain if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

His attorney, who visited his client daily throughout the jail term, informed the court he would be safer out of prison compared to inside. “He received death threats, listened to yells after dark and emergency responses in an adjacent room as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Legal Proceedings

Sarkozy went to prison on 21 October when a Paris court gave him a half-decade term on conspiracy charges related to a plan to obtain political donations during his election campaign.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, with a new trial set for the coming spring.