Nicolas Sarkozy has been released from prison in Paris, just three weeks into his five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy.
The former president will remain under judicial supervision pending an appeal over his sentence for obtaining campaign funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
Sarkozy, 70, was found guilty in September of criminal conspiracy in a scheme from 2005 to 2007 to finance his campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favours.
He was incarcerated at Le Santé prison since 21 October until 10 November, despite his legal team having requested alternatives such as an electronic tag or house arrest. The former French premier walked free on Monday afternoon.
Who is Nicolas Sarkozy?
Sarkozy began his political career in the 1970s with the Gaullist party, rising to prominence as mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine and later serving as France’s interior and finance minister. Elected president in 2007, he pursued economic and security reforms and played an active role in global affairs, notably during the 2011 Libya intervention.
After losing re-election in 2012, Sarkozy remained influential within the conservative Les Républicains party but became embroiled in corruption and campaign finance scandals, leading to multiple trials, including the recent case over alleged Libyan campaign funding.
Why was he jailed last month?
In September, the former French president was sentenced to five years in prison in the case of suspected illegal campaign funds from Gaddafi.
The accusations can be traced back to 2011, when Gaddafi revealed that the Libyan state had secretly funnelled millions of euros into Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign. Investigators claimed Sarkozy had forged a corrupt pact with the Libyan government.
Although presiding judge Nathalie Gavarino said there was no proof that Sarkozy made such a deal with Gaddafi, nor that the money sent from Libya reached Sarkozy’s campaign, she found him guilty of criminal conspiracy for allowing close aides to engage with people in Libya to secure campaign financing.
Sarkozy had fiercely denied wrongdoing and pointed to the fact that even after years of investigation, no smoking gun had been discovered. Gaddafi was toppled and killed during the Arab spring in 2011, ending his four-decade rule of Libya.
What was prison life like for Sarkozy?
Sarkozy spent almost three weeks incarcerated in La Santé prison, in the east of the Montparnasse district of the 14th arrondissement in southern Paris.
The former president did not meet any of the other inmates face to face because of security fears. He was kept in continuous solitary confinement on the top floor of the isolation wing, away from other inmates and was always been accompanied by a guard. Sarkozy’s personal security detail, a perk of being a former president, was not allowed in.
Sky News reported that Sarkozy was subjected to death threats on his first day at La Santé after a video, which appeared to have been filmed by an inmate, showed verbal threats being made as he arrived.
The prison, among the most famous in France, has been home to some of the country’s most famous inmates in the past century.
French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, a close associate of the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, was found dead in his prison cell in La Santé in 2022. The 76-year-old had been held there for over a year as he was investigated on suspicion of the rape and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation. He had denied any wrongdoing.
Why did he appeal his sentence?
Sarkozy has consistently denied wrongdoing and appealed, calling himself a victim of revenge and hatred.
Attorney Christophe Ingrain said after Sarkozy went to jail that his client did not meet any of the legal justifications for “provisional detention” and had always abided by the judicial process.
He will be banned from leaving the French territory, the court said.
“It's one step,” a lawyer for Sarkozy told reporters of the decision. “The next step is the appeal trial.”
What next for the former president?
Sarkozy was seen arriving back at his Paris home shortly after being released from prison on Monday.
He will continue his appeal against his conviction after the court said he was not a flight risk and therefore did not have to remain in prison.
His release, under judicial supervision, which includes a ban on leaving France and a ban on talking to any justice ministry official, was based on specific criteria and is no indication of whether his appeal is likely to succeed.
He told the court he would respect any demand from the judiciary if he was freed. “I'm French, sir. I love my country. I’m fighting for the truth to prevail. I will comply with all the obligations imposed on me, as I always have," he said.
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