Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was released from a Paris prison on Monday after an appeals court granted him judicial supervision, less than three weeks into his five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy tied to alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 campaign.
According to The Associated Press, Sarkozy, 70, was seen returning to his home in western Paris shortly after leaving La Santé prison. Under the court’s ruling, he is prohibited from leaving France and from contacting co-defendants and witnesses in the case.
Speaking via video conference from prison, Sarkozy told the court, “I had never imagined I would experience prison at 70. This ordeal was imposed on me, and I lived through it. It’s hard, very hard.” He also thanked prison staff for helping him through “this nightmare.”
His wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and two of his sons attended the hearing.
Sarkozy maintains his innocence, telling the court, “I will never admit something I didn’t do,” and denying ever asking Libya’s former ruler Moammar Gadhafi for campaign financing.
French law allows for release pending appeal unless a defendant poses a flight risk, endangers evidence, or risks influencing witnesses. Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, said the ruling represented “normal implementation of law,” adding, “The next step is the appeal trial and our work now … is to get prepared for that.”
The appeals trial is expected to take place in the spring.
In a rare move, the court also barred Sarkozy from contacting Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, who visited him in prison last month — a meeting that drew criticism from magistrates for undermining judicial independence.
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, still faces multiple legal battles, including a ruling later this month on his 2012 campaign financing case and an ongoing investigation into alleged witness tampering.
In 2023, France’s highest court upheld his conviction for corruption and influence peddling for attempting to bribe a magistrate.
