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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a personal account in the coming weeks called Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts the period served in jail.

The revelation came shortly after the ex-leader gained freedom as he appeals the guilty verdict on charges of unlawful coordination connected to efforts to obtain presidential race money linked to the government of former Libyan leader.

Prison Experience: Personal Reflections

“Inside jail one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he notes in a preview, suggesting the book centers around his thoughts from seclusion rather than wider commentary of the strained and crisis-hit French prison system.

“Quiet is absent, which is missing at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he states. “The din unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, personal reflection is strengthened in prison.”

Court Appearance: Recounting the Hardship

While appealing for release, he had appeared via screen from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute the correctional officers, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this nightmare bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I didn’t expect that in my seventies, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It has an impact every inmate because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

He, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, set a precedent as former head of an EU country and the first postwar leader in the French Republic to serve time in prison.

Ahead of his incarceration he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity to write a book.

Books in Prison

Unconfirmed is did he manage to read and critique the texts he took into prison: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, where an innocent man ends up incarcerated later flees to take revenge.

Prison Conditions

He remained in isolation due to safety concerns in a space approximately nine square meters including private facilities at the correctional facility in Paris. Security personnel were stationed in an adjacent room.

Reports indicated that he consumed just yogurt while inside because he feared meals provided may have been contaminated. He had facilities to cook for himself but he turned this down, as per accounts. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain daily during the incarceration, told the release hearing security would be better outside jail compared to inside. “He has faced threats against his life, heard shouts at night plus rapid actions in an adjacent room during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Legal Proceedings

His incarceration began last month when a Paris court imposed five years in prison for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain political donations for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, and a fresh trial planned for next spring.