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The ex-president of France plans a personal account in the coming weeks named Diary of a Prisoner, detailing his time endured behind bars.

The revelation emerged shortly after Sarkozy was released while he contests the court ruling for criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to obtain election campaign funds provided by the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.

Time in Custody: Solitary Musings

“Inside jail visibility is limited, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in one passage, indicating the account is more about his thoughts while in seclusion as opposed to wider commentary on the packed and crisis-hit jail system in France.

“Quiet is absent, which doesn’t exist at the prison, where one hears a lot to hear,” he adds. “The noise is alas constant. But, just like the desert, personal reflection grows stronger while incarcerated.”

Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle

During his plea for freedom, he had appeared remotely from inside the facility, describing his time inside as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this nightmare bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“It never crossed my mind that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It has an impact every inmate due to its intensity.”

First of Its Kind

Sarkozy, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural former head in the European Union and the first leader since WWII from France to experience jail.

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

Cell Library

Unconfirmed is did he manage to review and analyze the texts he took into prison: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned later flees to exact retribution.

Daily Reality

He was held secluded for his own security in a space approximately nine square meters including private facilities at La Santé prison located in the capital. Two bodyguards occupied the next cell.

Reports indicated his diet consisted just yogurt in prison due to concerns meals provided might have been spat on. Options were available for self-catering but refused this, as per accounts. Not known is if he will detail what he ate in prison.

Lawyer’s Statements

His attorney, Christophe Ingrain every day during the incarceration, informed the court he would be safer outside jail than inside. “He has faced threats against his life, has heard screaming after dark plus rapid actions in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Charges and Sentence

He entered custody on 21 October when a Paris court sentenced him to a half-decade term for illegal collaboration related to a plan to obtain election financing for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence and is contesting the ruling, with a new trial set for next spring.