Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who spent 21 days in prison, recounted in his book, “Diary of a Prisoner,” that during a meeting with French leader Emmanuel Macron before serving his sentence, he refused a transfer to a “more severe” penal colony and generally refused “preferential treatment.” This was reported by the European newspaper Politico, which has reviewed the book, which will go on sale on December 10.
“I had nothing to say to him, and I wasn’t in the mood for a friendly conversation,” the publication quotes “Diary of a Prisoner,” which describes the former president’s meeting with Macron. The book claims that Sarkozy refused the French leader’s offer to transfer him to a supposedly more severe prison, as well as any other privileges, except for a guard stationed outside his cell.
According to Politico, the book also mentions other political figures. Sarkozy thanks Marine Le Pen, the head of the National Rally parliamentary group, and his political opponent Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the founder of the left-wing party “France is a Disorder,” for their support, as the latter has not commented on his arrest. The former French president also stated that former Prime Minister Michel Barnier has requested a visit to him in prison.
The 70-year-old former French president, who held office from 2007 to 2012, was found guilty on September 25 of participating in a criminal organization involved in financing the Libyan election campaign, but was acquitted of charges of concealing the embezzlement of public funds and passive corruption. However, the court did not confirm the illegal financing of the 2007 election campaign. Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison. On October 21, he began serving his sentence in solitary confinement at the Santé Prison in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, where he spent 21 days.
On November 10, the Paris Court of Appeal granted Sarkozy’s lawyers’ request to lift his arrest and place him under judicial supervision. Under the terms of the judicial supervision, he is prohibited from leaving France or communicating with any current French justice minister during the trial, including Gérald Darmanin, who visited him in Santé Prison prior to the current ruling. Sarkozy’s appeal, filed in late September against his conviction in the campaign finance case, is scheduled to be heard in March 2026.