Paris: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday published a memoir describing his three-week detention in Paris’s La Sante prison, drawing criticism from families of victims of the 1989 Union de Transports Aeriens (UTA) Flight 772 bombing, who say they are ‘distressed’ by how he depicts them.
According to Anadolu Agency, the 216-page book, “Diary of a Prisoner,” recounts Sarkozy’s incarceration following his September conviction for allowing close associates to seek illicit campaign financing from senior Libyan officials ahead of his 2007 presidential bid, as reported by Le Parisien. Sarkozy served 20 days in jail before his release under judicial supervision on Nov. 10, with his appeal scheduled from March 16 to June 3, 2026.
The strongest backlash was sparked by Sarkozy’s description of testimony given by families of the bombing victims during the Libyan financing trial. The attack, carried out by Libyan operatives, killed 170 people from 18 countries when the UTA Flight 772 exploded over Niger on September 19, 1989.
The collective Daughters of DC-10 criticized the book for portraying Sarkozy as unfairly targeted by ‘ungrateful and vengeful families.’ They accused him of distorting facts and concealing the truth, stating that he reverses the roles, making people believe that he is the real victim.
The group rejected Sarkozy’s claim that he personally insisted on receiving them at the Elysee during Muammar Gaddafi’s controversial 2007 visit, asserting that only their public protests forced the Elysee to receive them at the last minute. Sarkozy noted in the memoir that the families themselves had negotiated compensation with Tripoli – pound 1 million (about $1.16 million) per victim – years earlier.
Sarkozy describes the victims’ families’ testimony as ‘among the most moving moments’ of the trial, while acknowledging he was shaken by ‘the harshness of some remarks’ directed at him. The group labeled his comment ‘unwelcome and misleading,’ maintaining that compensation ‘never absolved a bloodthirsty regime’ nor justified Sarkozy’s advisers negotiating with Libyan intelligence chief Abdallah Senoussi, who was convicted in France for the 1989 bombing.
In the memoir, Sarkozy also details the monotony of prison life, his daily routines, and moments of prayer, stating he asked for ‘the strength to bear the cross of this injustice,’ and insists on his innocence. He recounts a call with far-right leader Marine Le Pen, expressing he would not participate in any ‘republican front’ against the National Rally. Other passages criticize political figures, including French President Emmanuel Macron, and ex-presidential candidate Segolene Royal.
Sarkozy remains definitively convicted in two separate cases – the “wiretapping” affair and the Bygmalion campaign finance scandal – while the appeal in the Libyan case is scheduled for next year.