Sarkozy Describes Monotony of Three-Week Prison Stay in New Diary

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has published excerpts from a prison diary. In it, he describes his three-week detention as a monotonous experience marked by "greyness and solitude." A Paris court sentenced Sarkozy to three years in prison in 2021. The conviction was for illegal campaign financing, specifically for conspiring to use Libyan funds for his successful 2007 presidential bid. The court ruled two years could be served under house arrest. Sarkozy, who denies all charges, served the initial three weeks in 2021 before being released to house arrest. His full sentence remains suspended pending an appeal. That appeals trial is scheduled to begin in March.