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Nicolas Sarkozy plans a personal account in the coming weeks named Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts the period spent in jail.

The revelation was made less than two weeks after Sarkozy left prison as his appeal proceeds his conviction on charges of illegal collaboration in a case to secure election campaign funds linked to the leadership of former Libyan leader.

Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts

“In prison visibility is limited, and nothing to do,” he writes in an extract, indicating the account centers around his musings during seclusion as opposed to extensive analysis of the overcrowded and crisis-hit French prison system.

“Silence escapes me, which doesn’t exist in La Santé, where there is constant sound,” he states. “The racket is alas constant. But, just like the desert, one’s inner world grows stronger while incarcerated.”

Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal

While appealing for release, Sarkozy had appeared by video link from a room in prison, depicting prison life as gruelling. He had told the court: “I wish to commend the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this ordeal bearable – because it is a nightmare.”

“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, extremely tough. It affects one all who experience it because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, who led the nation from 2007 to 2012, set a precedent as past president in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure from France to serve time in prison.

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

Cell Library

It remains unclear if he found the opportunity to read and critique the volumes he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, where a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned but escapes to exact retribution.

Daily Reality

Sarkozy was placed in isolation due to safety concerns in a room roughly 100 square feet with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail in Paris. Security personnel occupied an adjacent room.

Sources mentioned that he had eaten just yogurt during his stay because he feared prison cuisine might have been spat on. Although he had access to cook for himself but refused this, based on unnamed sources. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.

Lawyer’s Statements

The legal representative, Christophe Ingrain each day throughout the jail term, told the release hearing his safety would improve released than inside. “There were threats against his life, has heard screaming at night plus rapid actions in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Case Background

His incarceration began on 21 October after the judiciary gave him a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to obtain political donations during his election campaign.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, and a fresh trial set for early next year.