A Paris appeals court has decided to release former French President Nicolas Sarkozy from prison and place him under judicial supervision.
Monday’s announcement came less than three weeks after Sarkozy began serving a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya.
Sarkozy will be banned from leaving the French territory, the court said. An appeal trial is expected to take place later.
Sarkozy became the first former French head of state in modern times to be sent behind bars after his conviction on Sept. 25. He denies wrongdoing.
He was jailed on Oct. 21 pending appeal but immediately filed for early release.
During Monday’s hearing, Sarkozy, speaking from Paris’ La Santé 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.
—-AP