French court releases Nicolas Sarkozy after 20 days in prison.

French courts granted provisional release on Monday (10) to Nicolas Sarkozy, who had been imprisoned since October 21 at the La Santé penitentiary in Paris. The decision, according to the Folha de S. PaulThe decision was made by the Paris Court of Appeals and stipulates that the former head of state must comply with obligations set by the judge, such as the prohibition of leaving French territory. He is expected to be released in the coming hours.

Hearing and statements from the former president

In French law, the measure is described as "liberty under judicial control," an expression that encompasses a set of restrictions applied during the process. Via videoconference, Sarkozy described his 20 days of imprisonment as "a nightmare." "I never imagined discovering prison at 70 years old. This ordeal that has been imposed on me is very harsh, as it is for any prisoner, and even exhausting," stated the former president.

In addition to the precautionary measures, the court ruled that Sarkozy cannot have contact with the Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin. The government official visited the former president in prison, a gesture that drew criticism from legal experts for allegedly violating the neutrality of the Executive branch in an ongoing case.

Conviction and imprisonment

Sarkozy, who governed France between 2007 and 2012, became the first former French president to be imprisoned. He is provisionally serving a five-year prison sentence for conspiracy, in a case investigating the illegal financing of his presidential campaign with funds from the Libyan government, then ruled by Muammar Gaddafi (1942–2011). The defense appealed the sentence, but French law allows for the execution of the sentence before a final judgment.

During his three weeks in La Santé prison, Sarkozy remained in solitary confinement, under the continuous surveillance of two officers stationed beside him to prevent contact with other inmates. Reports indicate that prisoners were even transferred after attempting to disturb the former president's sleep with shouts and nighttime threats.

Others involved

In the same case, two collaborators were sentenced to two and six years in prison, respectively. One of them will have to wear an electronic ankle monitor; the other, being 80 years old, will not serve a closed prison sentence. In 2024, Sarkozy had already spent three months with an electronic ankle monitor as a result of another action—the wiretapping related to the same campaign—in which he received a three-year sentence in an open prison regime.