PARIS, France — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been released from prison three weeks into his five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy, after a Paris court granted him conditional freedom pending an appeal trial.
The court on Monday, November 10, 2025, ordered that Sarkozy, 70, be placed under judicial supervision and barred from leaving France until his appeal is heard next year.
Shortly after his release, Sarkozy issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), pledging to continue his fight to clear his name.
“My energy is focused solely on the single goal of proving my innocence,” he wrote.
“The truth will prevail. It is an obvious truth that life teaches. The end of the story remains to be written.”
Sarkozy had been found guilty in September of participating in an illicit campaign financing scheme, in which the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi allegedly funded his 2007 presidential campaign with millions of euros in cash.
Prosecutors said the money was exchanged for diplomatic favours between 2005 and 2007, in violation of French campaign finance laws.
The court’s October ruling made Sarkozy the first former French president in modern history to be sentenced to prison.
Although Sarkozy’s legal team immediately filed an appeal after his conviction, the court initially denied a request for release, citing the seriousness of the offence and the risk of tampering with evidence.
The judges also imposed a €100,000 fine.
Monday’s ruling now allows him to await his appeal trial, which is scheduled to begin in March 2026, under court supervision.
One of his lawyers, Christophe Ingrain, welcomed the court’s decision as “a step forward,” adding that the legal team would now focus entirely on preparing for the appeal.
The case marks a historic moment in French politics, with Sarkozy joining a small list of European leaders convicted of corruption-related crimes.
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, has faced multiple legal challenges since leaving office, including separate cases involving influence peddling and illegal campaign financing.
While he remains one of France’s most polarising political figures, his release reignites debate over political accountability and the judicial handling of corruption cases in Europe’s top democracies.
