A Paris appeals court on Monday ordered the release of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy from prison three weeks into a five-year sentence, placing him under judicial supervision.
Sarkozy left La Santé prison in Paris later that afternoon. Earlier, appearing by video from the prison, he described his incarceration as a “nightmare” as the court considered his request to be freed pending his appeals trial after a conviction for criminal conspiracy.
The conviction stems from a lower court ruling in September that found Sarkozy guilty of attempting to obtain funding from Moammar Gadhafi’s Libya ahead of his successful 2007 presidential campaign. The court did not find that he had received or spent the money on his campaign but convicted him over the alleged plan.
Sarkozy entered prison on October 21, becoming the first former head of an EU member state to be jailed; his lawyers promptly sought his release. If the appeals court agrees, he would be free immediately.
Known in French media as the “Libyan case,” the allegations date back to 2011 when a Libyan outlet first reported on campaign financing. The accusations gained fresh weight in 2016 when businessman Ziad Takieddine said he had delivered suitcases of cash from Libyan officials to the French Interior Ministry.
The 70-year-old appeared on the video call wearing a dark blue jacket and flanked by lawyers. “It’s hard, very hard, certainly for any prisoner. I would even say it’s grueling,” he told the court, adding that prison staff had helped make “this nightmare… bearable.”
Prosecutor Damien Brunet supported Sarkozy’s request for release, arguing that the risks of collusion and pressure on witnesses justified freeing him under judicial supervision.
In court, Sarkozy was joined by his wife, singer and model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and two of his sons. Edited by: Wesley Rahn
