The first excerpts of French former president Nicolas Sarkozy's prison diary speak of a monotonous three-week bid in prison. Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy related to efforts to finance his successful 2007 presidential campaign with Libyan funds. An appeals trial will open in March.

Issued on: 06/12/2025 - 19:51

Greyness and solitude marked French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy's three-week stint in prison, according to excerpts released on Saturday from an upcoming book.

Sarkozy, 70, in October became the first president in the history of modern France to go to jail after his conviction for allowing aides to seek to collect money for his 2007 presidential election campaign from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

He was handed a five-year sentence but was released with restrictions after serving 20 days, following an appeals court ruling that there was no flight risk.

He has written a 216-page book entitled "Diary of a Prisoner," which is due to come out on December 10 and excerpts of which were published in several French media on Saturday.

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"Grey dominated everything, devoured everything, covered every surface," he wrote in one passage. "I would have given anything to be able to look out the window, to enjoy watching the cars go by."

During his first night, he knelt in prayer after watching a football match.

"It came naturally," he wrote. "I stayed like that for several minutes. I prayed for the strength to bear the cross of this injustice."

Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, was protected in prison by two security officers and remained confined to his cell 23 hours a day, except for visiting hours.

He was received by President Emmanuel Macron before entering prison, and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, a former protégé, sparked criticism by meeting Sarkozy inside the prison.

"It's often said that you learn at any age. That's true because I learned a great deal at La Santé prison, about others as well as about myself," Sarkozy wrote.

His diet was made up of "dairy products, cereal bars, mineral water, apple juice, and a few sweet treats".

In an interview with Le Figaro, he said that he wrote most of the book while behind bars, writing "with a ballpoint pen on a small plywood table every day" and finished the book after his release on November 10.

Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the right despite being definitively convicted of illegal campaign financing and influence peddling.

In December last year, he exhausted his last legal recourse in another case over trying to extract favours from a judge.

He served that sentence with an electronic ankle tag, which was removed in May after several months.

Sarkozy has always maintained his innocence. An appeals trial in the so-called Libyan case will open in March.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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