Former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been released from prison three weeks into his five-year sentence for involvement in a criminal conspiracy.
His release comes under strict judicial supervision, with conditions preventing him from leaving France ahead of his appeal trial scheduled for next year.
Sarkozy is the first French ex-head of state to serve time in prison since Philippe Pétain, the World War II leader convicted of treason in 1945.
During his incarceration, the former president was held in isolation, occupying a cell equipped with basic amenities including a toilet, shower, desk, small electric hob, and a television for which he paid a €14 (£12) monthly fee.
Despite being allowed family visits, correspondence, and limited phone contact, Sarkozy was effectively in solitary confinement, granted only one hour a day for exercise in a separate courtyard.
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, has faced multiple legal challenges since leaving office.
Last December, he was convicted of attempting to bribe a magistrate for confidential information in a separate case and was required to wear an electronic monitoring tag for several months.
The 70-year-old former centre-right leader was sentenced on October 21 to five years in prison for allegedly conspiring to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
His legal team immediately appealed the ruling and sought his provisional release.
Following his release, Sarkozy wrote on social media that his “energy is focused solely on the single goal of proving my innocence.”
He added, “The truth will prevail… The end of the story is yet to be written.”
Under the conditions of his release, Sarkozy is prohibited from contacting witnesses involved in the so-called “Libyan dossier” or employees of the justice ministry.
Appearing via video link before a Paris court on Monday, Sarkozy described his time in solitary confinement as “gruelling” and “a nightmare.” He denied ever seeking funds from Gaddafi, saying he would “never admit to something I haven’t done.”
He also expressed gratitude toward prison staff, saying they had shown “exceptional humanity” and made his imprisonment “bearable.”
Sarkozy’s wife, singer and model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, along with two of his sons, were present in the courtroom to support him.
