Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has released his book, "Diary of a Prisoner" ("Le Journal d’un Prisonnier"), on his time in jail following his conviction. .
The memoir was published on Wednesday, 10 December, with hundreds of supporters welcoming him at a book-signing event in Paris
The book, published by a French Paris-based publishing house Fayard, recounts the three weeks Sarkozy spent in La Santé prison this autumn, after the Paris court found him guilty of criminal association in a plot from 2005 to 2007.
Nicolas Sarkozy was accused of financing his winning 2007 presidential campaign with funds from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in exchange for diplomatic favours, when he was still serving as interior minister.
The 70-year-old former leader was convicted on 25 September, 2025, began serving his sentence on 21 October, and was released on 10 November pending an appeal.
The appeal trial in the Libya case is scheduled to run from 16 March to 3 June, 2026.
The former president has consistently denied any wrongdoing and claimed the ruling on his case would 'undermine faith in France's judiciary'.
Supporters gathered enthusiastically as Sarkozy appeared to promote the memoir.
One of former leader's fans, 68-year-old Francois Duthu, said he wanted to read this book because he is "sure it will recount the most intense moments of his time in prison".
"I'm so outraged that the former president went to prison in a free country like ours - it's a scandal, truly," Duthu concluded.
Another supporter, Agnes Gras, 59, said she wanted to "pay him respects", as she felt that "what he went through was unjust".
"We don’t remember enough that he was also mayor of Neuilly and that he saved children during the ‘Human Bomb’ attack," she said mentioning the Neuilly kindergarten hostage crisis of 13–15 May, 1993.
In France's Neuilly‑sur‑Seine, Érick Schmitt, a distressed and unemployed businessman calling himself the “Human Bomb,” held a kindergarten class hostage for two days. The standoff drew national attention and was ultimately resolved by French authorities, with Sarkozy personally intervening during the crisis.
"He accomplished a great deal,” Gras added.
Earlier conviction
Sarkozy was also convicted, in 2024, of having spent almost twice the maximum legal amount of 22.5 million euros ($25.5 million) on the 2012 re-election bid he lost to François Hollande.
He had appealed his conviction over the re-election campaign.
The Court of Cassation upheld the guilty verdict, making former President Sarkozy’s conviction final under French law, with no further appeals possible.
However, six months of his sentence were suspended and could be served through alternative measures, such as wearing an electronic bracelet, rather than in prison.
Sarkozy, the first post-war French president to be imprisoned, was also previously cleared of three other charges, including passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and concealing the embezzlement of public funds.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 1st of January, covering the latest developments you need to k...
Ukrainian and European officials have rejected Moscow's claims that Ukraine targeted a personal residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin with a d...
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his New Year address to the nation, said that Ukraine wanted the war to end, but not at any cost, adding he would no...
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN Palestinian ref...
People around the world said goodbye to a sometimes challenging 2025 and expressed hopes for the new year to come. Midnight arrived first on the islan...
France’s highest court upheld former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conviction for illegal campaign financing on Wednesday, marking another legal setback for the 70-year-old former leader.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will release a new book next month recounting his recent time behind bars, his publisher Fayard announced on Friday.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will appeal his conviction for conspiring to secure illegal Libyan funding for his 2007 election campaign, with hearings set from 16 March to 3 June, the Paris appeal court said on Thursday (13 November).
A French court will set the date for former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s imprisonment on Monday after he was sentenced to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy linked to illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya.
The Russian radio station known as 'Doomsday Radio' (or UVB-76) unexpectedly began playing ‘Swan Lake’, music from a ballet composition. The last time this was done was during the deaths of Soviet-era leaders and the 1991 coup.
Protests in Iran over soaring prices and a plunging rial have spread to universities in Tehran, as students join shopkeepers and bazaar merchants in demanding government action. With inflation above 42% and the rial at record lows, unrest continues to grow across the country.
As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, rising casualties, economic struggles, and mounting unrest expose cracks in society. Despite Kremlin propaganda, frustration is growing as more Russians question the government’s narrative, according to The Washington Post.
The head of Yemen’s Presidential Council, Rashad al-Alimi, has ordered all forces linked to the United Arab Emirates to leave Yemen within 24 hours.
European leaders held talks on Ukraine after Russia said it would revise its negotiating position, citing an alleged Ukrainian drone attack that Kyiv has firmly denied.
Senior officials from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, met in Beijing this week for talks with Chinese counterparts, marking a rare in-person engagement between the four-nation grouping and China amid heightened strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 1st of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Ukrainian and European officials have rejected Moscow's claims that Ukraine targeted a personal residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin with a drone attack this week, an incident that threatens to disrupt U.S.-led peace negotiations heading into the new year.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his New Year address to the nation, said that Ukraine wanted the war to end, but not at any cost, adding he would not sign a "weak" peace agreement that would only prolong the war.
People around the world said goodbye to a sometimes challenging 2025 and expressed hopes for the new year to come. Midnight arrived first on the islands closest to the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean, including Kiritimati, Tonga and New Zealand.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment