November 11, 2025 | 06:46 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The court in France ordered the release of former President Nicolas Sarkozy from prison on Monday, 20 days after he entered La Sante prison on October 21. His lawyers requested the decision while waiting for the appeal process.
"The court declares the application for release admissible and places you under judicial supervision," said the president of the Paris Court of Appeal as quoted by Anadolu.
The supervision includes a ban on Sarkozy contacting Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin. Sarkozy is also prohibited from leaving French territory. Authorities stated that there is a risk of pressure or collusion from other defendants that cannot be completely ruled out, especially since several key witnesses are scattered around the world.
After the release of the former French President from 2007-2012, one of his lawyers, Christophe Ingrain, said the next step is to begin the appeals process for the Libyan funding case related to his 2007 presidential campaign.
The prosecutors supported his request to be released under judicial supervision, with the condition that he refrain from contacting various defendants and witnesses in the Libya case pending the court's decision. They cited his attendance in court and cooperation with the police.
Sarkozy's Testimony
Speaking in court via video on Monday, Sarkozy referred to his less than a week imprisonment as a "nightmare" and a "tiring" experience.
Al Jazeera reported Sarkozy's statement, "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. I would even say it’s gruelling."
In the 50-minute hearing, the former president again denied all accusations. "I will never confess to something I didn’t do," he said in court.
"Truth will prevail. This is a fact that life teaches us," he wrote in a letter X upon returning home.
Sarkozy added that he will now focus on his appeal process and that "the end of the story remains to be written."
In September, the former French President was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of conspiracy in a case involving funding from Libya for his 2007 election campaign.
The court decided that Sarkozy, who denied all accusations, was guilty of criminal conspiracy. However, the judge acquitted him of passive corruption and other charges of illegal funding.
After he entered prison, Sarkozy's lawyers filed for his release.
Editor's Choice: Ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy Begins Serving 5-Year Prison Term
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