Former French President Sarkozy Released on Strict Parole After Three Weeks in Prison

WISE NEWS PRESS / PARIS, FRANCE — Nov. 11, 2025

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been released from prison after serving three weeks of his five-year sentence, but will be subject to a strict supervised parole regime and is barred from leaving France.

Sarkozy, who was convicted of using millions of euros in illegal funding from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during his 2007 presidential campaign, was released from La Sante Prison late this evening following an application by his legal team. The court granted the request for his release pending his appeal hearing scheduled for March.

'Like a Nightmare': Time in Solitary Confinement

Participating in the Paris hearing via video link, Sarkozy described the time spent in his solitary confinement cell as "difficult" and "like a nightmare."

Prosecutor Damien Brunet supported the request for Sarkozy's release but stipulated that the former president must not contact other witnesses in the case, dubbed the "Libya File."

Sarkozy, who denies all charges, stated that he "never had the insane idea" of taking money from Gaddafi and would "never accept something he did not do." The former president also thanked prison staff for making his stay "bearable," adding, "They showed exceptional humanity."

Sarkozy's wife, singer and model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and two of his sons were present in the courtroom to support the former president. Sarkozy is the first former French leader to be imprisoned since Philippe Pétain, who was convicted of treason in 1945 for collaborating with Nazi forces during World War II.

The Background of the Gaddafi Case

Sarkozy, who maintains the charges against him are political, was accused of using funds received from Gaddafi to illegally finance his 2007 presidential campaign.

The Paris criminal court acquitted Sarkozy of all other charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing. However, the prosecution alleged that in return for the money, Sarkozy promised to help rehabilitate Gaddafi's image as a pariah leader among Western countries.

Judge Nathalie Gavarino stated that Sarkozy had authorized his close advisors to contact Libyan officials for campaign funding. However, the court ruled there was no evidence that Sarkozy benefitted from the illegal campaign financing itself. Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison and given a €100,000 fine.

The History of the Investigation

The investigation began in 2013, two years after Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, accused Sarkozy of receiving "millions" from his father for the election campaign.

The following year, Ziad Takieddine, a Lebanese businessman who acted as a long-time intermediary between France and the Middle East, claimed to have written evidence that Sarkozy’s campaign was financed by Tripoli and that a further €50 million was paid after he became president.

Former Interior Ministers Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux were also charged in the case. The court found Guéant guilty of corruption and other allegations, and Hortefeux guilty of conspiracy to commit a crime. Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, was accused of complicity in concealing evidence and forgery related to the Gaddafi case, charges she denies.

Sarkozy has faced several other investigations since losing power in the 2012 election. In February 2024, he was found guilty of overspending on his 2012 campaign and using a public relations company to cover it up, receiving a one-year sentence with six months suspended, which he appealed. In 2021, he was found guilty of attempting to bribe a judge in 2015, receiving a sentence that was allowed to be served at home with an electronic tag by the Paris Court of Appeals.

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