France’s former President Nicolas Sarkozy departs prison under supervision, pending an appeals trial in conspiracy case

PARIS (AP) - France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy was freed from prison Monday after a Paris appeals court granted him release under judicial supervision, less than three weeks after he began serving a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya.

Sarkozy, 70, left La Santé prison by car and later quickly stepped into his home in western Paris. The brief scene was in contrast to his very public incarceration 20 days earlier, when he walked down the alley near his house hand-in-hand with his wife and former supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy as he waved to supporters.

The former president, who denies wrongdoing, is banned from leaving the French territory and from being in touch with key people including co-defendants and witnesses in the case, the court said.

An appeals trial is expected to take place later, possibly in the spring.

Sarkozy became the first former French head of state in modern times to be sent behind bars after his conviction on Sept. 25. He was jailed on Oct. 21 pending appeal but immediately filed for early release.

Sarkozy describes prison as "a nightmare"

During Monday's hearing examining his request, Sarkozy, speaking from the prison via video conference, argued he has always met all justice requirements.

"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 also paid tribute to prison staff who he said helped him through "this nightmare." His wife and two of his sons attended the hearing at the Paris courthouse.

Monday's proceedings didn't involve the motives for the sentencing.

Still, Sarkozy told the court he never asked Libya's longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi for any financing. "I will never admit something I didn't do," he said.

French law provides that release should be the general rule pending appeal, while detention should be reserved for those considered dangerous or at risk of fleeing to another country, or to protect evidence or prevent pressure on witnesses.

Sarkozy's lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, praised "normal implementation of law" in a brief statement. "The next step is the appeal trial and our work now ... is to get prepared for that," he said.

Banned from meeting justice minister

In a rare decision, the court specifically banned Sarkozy from being in touch with Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin.

Darmanin, a former conservative who once considered Sarkozy as his mentor before rejoining President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party in 2017, paid him a visit in prison last month. Some French magistrates criticized the move as undermining the independence of judges.

Sarkozy, who governed from 2007 to 2012, faces separate proceedings, including a Nov. 26 ruling by France's highest court over illegal financing of his failed 2012 reelection bid, and an ongoing investigation into alleged witness tampering in the Libya case.

In 2023, he was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling for trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated. France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, later upheld the verdict.