Overview
- Sarkozy had been jailed since October 21 after receiving a five-year sentence for criminal association linked to alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 campaign.
- The court imposed strict conditions, including a ban on leaving France and prohibitions on contacting co-defendants and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin.
- Prosecutors recommended conditional release, arguing that the safeguards address concerns over flight, witness pressure and obstruction.
- Sarkozy denies wrongdoing and says he will focus on his appeal, with an appellate trial expected in the coming months.
- His short incarceration marked a first for a modern French head of state, following judges’ earlier finding of the offenses’ “exceptional gravity.”