French justice grants Sarkozy his freedom twenty days after he enters prison
The former president of France, sentenced to five years, was released from the prison within the next few hours.
ParisFormer French President Nicolas Sarkozy will spend Christmas at home. Twenty days after being imprisoned in Santé prison in Paris, he will be able to return home this Monday. despite having been sentenced in the first instance to five years in prison for the crime of illicit association In the case concerning Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign, the French courts have granted him conditional release, under judicial supervision. Pending the appeals process, scheduled for March of next year, the courts have prohibited him from leaving the country and from having contact with individuals connected to the case, including Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin. The former president is expected to be released from prison in the coming hours.
The appeals court, which examined Sarkozy's request for release early Monday morning, ruled that maintaining his pretrial detention was unjustified because there was no risk of evidence tampering, pressure, or collusion. Sarkozy appeared from prison via video conference this morning. His wife, Carla Bruni, and two of his children were physically present at the hearing. "It's hard, very hard," the former resident of the Élysée Palace admitted about his time in prison, which he also described as a "nightmare."
The prosecutor had requested his release, albeit with "strict" judicial oversight, given that the sentence is not final and that the former conservative head of state has already turned 70, an age at which the French justice system rarely keeps people in prison without a final sentence, especially if there is no possibility of an appeal.
On September 25, the French justice system sentenced Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the Republic between 2007 and 2012, to five years in prison, a fine of 100,000 euros, and a five-year ban from holding public office. The sentence recognized that the former president, along with people in his inner circle, had promoted negotiations with the regime of Muammar Gaddafi to illegally finance the presidential campaign that took him to the Élysée Palace.
Evidence against Sarkozy
According to the French justice system, it was proven that these conversations took place and that Gaddafi paid money to Sarkozy's associates. However, the former president was acquitted of the charges of corruption, illegal campaign financing, and embezzlement of public funds because the money could not be traced and, therefore, there is no evidence that it was used to finance the presidential campaign. In any case, the sentence mandated the convicted man's imprisonment due to the seriousness of the offenses. During Monday's hearing, Sarkozy insisted on his innocence. "I hope the court is convinced of one thing: I never had the intention, nor the crazy idea, of asking Mr. Gaddafi for anything. To evade justice would be to confess. I will never confess anything," he asserted from Santé. His brief time in prison His case has been highly controversial due to his alleged privileges, such as being alone in an overcrowded prison and receiving a visit from Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, a personal friend of the convicted man. Darmanin's visit has been heavily criticized by lawyers and judges. The fact that he has two police officers stationed at his side 24 hours a day to prevent any aggression or incident has also sparked controversy.
