**Paris Court to Decide on Early Release of Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy**
A court in Paris is set to decide on Monday whether to release former French President Nicolas Sarkozy from prison, just 20 days after his incarceration. Sarkozy, 70, was sentenced to five years in prison following his conviction for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his successful 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya.
He is the first former president of modern France to be sentenced to actual prison time. Although previously convicted on corruption charges, Sarkozy had been ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet rather than serve a prison sentence.
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### Legal Proceedings and Appeal
Sarkozy’s legal team is appealing his conviction and has filed a request for early release. An appeal trial is expected to take place at a later date, possibly in the spring. On Monday, the Paris court will review his request for release, with a decision expected the same day.
The former president, who served from 2007 to 2012, maintains his innocence and disputes both the conviction and the decision to incarcerate him pending appeal.
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### Grounds for Possible Release
Following his sentencing on September 25, the Paris court declared the prison sentence effective immediately. However, upon his imprisonment on October 21, Sarkozy’s legal team promptly filed for early release.
The court’s decision will be guided by Article 144 of France’s criminal code, which states that release should generally be the norm pending appeal. Detention is to be considered exceptional, typically reserved for individuals deemed dangerous, at risk of fleeing the country, or in cases where detention is necessary to protect evidence or prevent witness tampering.
This provision does not affect the motives for the original sentencing. During Monday’s hearing, Sarkozy is expected to provide guarantees that he will comply with judicial requirements for conditional release. If granted, he would be placed under judicial supervision and could be freed from La Santé prison in Paris within hours.
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### Details of the Conviction
In its September ruling, the Paris court found that Sarkozy, in his roles as presidential candidate and interior minister, “prepared corruption at the highest level” from 2005 to 2007 to finance his campaign using Libyan funds.
The court highlighted secret meetings in 2005 between Sarkozy’s closest associates, Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, and Abdullah al-Senoussi, the brother-in-law and intelligence chief of then-Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Al-Senoussi was convicted for terrorist acts mainly targeting French and European citizens, including masterminding attacks on a Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, and on a French airliner over Niger in 1989.
While a complex financial scheme was established, the court noted there was no evidence directly linking the Libyan funds to Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign expenses.
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### Sarkozy’s Defense: Claims of a Political Plot
Sarkozy has consistently denied the charges, asserting that he is the victim of “a plot” orchestrated by individuals tied to the Libyan government, whom he refers to as the “Gadhafi clan.” He suggested the allegations were retaliation for his call as president for Gadhafi’s removal.
Sarkozy was among the first Western leaders to support military intervention in Libya during the 2011 Arab Spring protests, which led to Gadhafi’s overthrow and death, ending his four-decade rule.
He also points out that the court cleared him of three related charges: passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, and concealing the embezzlement of public funds. Additionally, Sarkozy emphasizes the court’s failure to establish a direct link between Libyan funds and his 2007 campaign financing as further proof of his innocence.
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### Other Legal Challenges Facing Sarkozy
Monday’s hearing is not the only ongoing legal matter involving Sarkozy. France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, is scheduled to issue a ruling on November 26 regarding a separate conviction tied to illegal campaign financing during Sarkozy’s failed 2012 reelection bid.
An appeals court sentenced Sarkozy last year to one year in prison, with six months suspended, for allegedly spending almost twice the legal limit of 22.5 million euros on his 2012 campaign, which he lost to Socialist François Hollande. Sarkozy denies these allegations.
Furthermore, Sarkozy remains under preliminary investigation related to the Libya financing case. French judges filed charges against him in 2023 for allegedly attempting to pressure a witness, Ziad Takieddine, who was central to accusations that Sarkozy received illegal payments from Libya. Takieddine later retracted his statement. Sarkozy’s wife, supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, was also preliminarily charged last year for alleged involvement.
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### Previous Corruption Conviction and Monitoring
In a separate matter, Sarkozy was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling by a Paris court in 2021 and an appeals court in 2023 for attempting to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about an ongoing legal case. The Court of Cassation upheld the verdict.
He was sentenced to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for one year but was granted conditional release in May 2023 due to his age, allowing removal of the electronic tag after just over three months.
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As the Paris court prepares to hear Sarkozy’s request for release, the former president’s legal battles continue to unfold amid public and political attention. A decision on his release is anticipated Monday, with further appeals and court rulings expected in the months ahead.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/09/world-news/frances-ex-president-sarkozy-may-be-released-from-prison-after-20-days/
