By SCM Staff Writer I Monday, Nov.10, 2025
PARIS, France – Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was released from La Santé prison in Paris on Monday, less than three weeks after he began serving a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy related to the illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign.
A Paris appeals court granted the 70-year-old former head of state a conditional release under judicial supervision, ruling that continued provisional detention was not justified while his appeal is pending.
The decision allows Mr. Sarkozy to await his appeals trial—expected to begin in the spring—from his home in western Paris.
During a hearing earlier in the day, the former president, who governed France from 2007 to 2012, appeared via video conference and described his 20 days behind bars as “grueling” and “a nightmare.” He maintains his innocence, stating, “I will never admit something I didn’t do.”
The Gaddafi Connection
Mr. Sarkozy was convicted on September 25, 2025, for criminal conspiracy involving a scheme to secure illicit campaign funds from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
The court found him guilty of criminal association intended to “arrange corruption at the highest possible level.” His incarceration, which began on October 21, made him the first former French president in modern history to be sent behind bars, marking a historic moment for the French judiciary.
This is the most severe of several legal issues Mr. Sarkozy has faced since leaving office. He had already been convicted in a separate case of corruption and influence peddling (known as the ‘wiretapping’ case) and served that one-year sentence under house arrest with an electronic tag.
Strict Conditions Apply
While Mr. Sarkozy has left the prison walls, his freedom remains strictly limited. Under the terms of the judicial supervision, he is forbidden from leaving French territory.
Crucially, the court also imposed a ban on him contacting key co-defendants and witnesses in the case, and specifically prohibited him from interacting with any justice ministry officials, including the current Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin.
This latter condition follows a controversial prison visit by Mr. Darmanin—a political protégé of Sarkozy—which was widely criticized by magistrates as undermining the independence of the judiciary.
Though Mr. Sarkozy’s lawyers hailed the release as a normal application of French law—which favors release pending appeal unless a suspect is considered a flight risk or a danger to the investigation—the former president’s legal battles are far from over.
In addition to the upcoming appeal, France’s highest court is expected to rule on an appeal related to the illegal financing of his failed 2012 reelection bid later this month.
