PARIS (AP) — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be released from prison and placed under judicial supervision after a Paris appeals court ruled Monday to grant his early release, less than three weeks after he began serving a five-year sentence for allegedly financing his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya.
Sarkozy, 70, who has denied any wrongdoing, was expected to leave La Santé prison in Paris later in the afternoon. Under the terms of the court’s decision, he is prohibited from leaving French territory and from contacting key individuals involved in the case, including witnesses and co-defendants. An appeals trial is expected to take place later, potentially in the spring.
The former president, who led France from 2007 to 2012, became the first French head of state in modern history to be imprisoned following his conviction on September 25. He was taken into custody on October 21 pending appeal but promptly filed for early release.
Speaking via video link from prison during Monday’s hearing, Sarkozy told the court he had complied with all judicial obligations and described his imprisonment as a personal ordeal. “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 said.
Sarkozy expressed gratitude toward prison staff, calling them “extraordinary people who helped me through this nightmare.” His wife, singer and former supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and two of his sons attended the hearing at the Paris courthouse.
Though Monday’s session did not revisit the motives behind his sentence, Sarkozy reiterated his denial of any financial connection to Libya’s former ruler, Moammar Gadhafi. “I will never admit something I didn’t do,” he declared.
Under French law, defendants are typically granted release pending appeal, with detention being the exception. Sarkozy’s legal troubles, however, are far from over. He faces a November 26 ruling by France’s highest court in a separate case involving illegal financing of his failed 2012 reelection campaign, as well as an ongoing probe into alleged witness tampering in the Libya affair.
In 2023, Sarkozy was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling for attempting to bribe a magistrate in exchange for confidential information about a legal matter. The Court of Cassation later upheld that verdict, further complicating the former president’s legal challenges.
