Sarkozy freed after just 20 days in jail over conspiracy
He was kept in a cell in the isolation wing of the prison due to threats to his safety. The BBC reported that his cell contained a toilet, shower, desk and a small electric stove. He also had access to a small television that cost US$16 ($24) a month.
Monday’s hearings did not include reasons for the sentence.
Still, Sarkozy told the court he had not requested any funding from Libya’s long-time ruler, Muammar Gaddafi. “I will never admit to something I didn’t do,” he said.
70-year-old Sarkozy, photographed with his wife, said prison was a “nightmare”. Credit: access point
French law states that release pending appeal should be the general rule, while detention should be reserved for people considered dangerous or at risk of fleeing to another country, or to preserve evidence or prevent pressure on witnesses.
Sarkozy’s lawyer Christophe Ingrain praised the “normal application of the law” in a brief statement. “The next step is the appeal trial, and our job now is to prepare for that,” he said.
He was banned from meeting with the Minister of Justice
In a rare decision, the court specifically banned Sarkozy’s contact with Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin.
Darmanin, a former conservative who considered Sarkozy a mentor before rejoining President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party in 2017, visited him in prison last month. Some French judges criticized the move as undermining the independence of judges.
Sarkozy, who was in power from 2007 to 2012, faces separate trials, including a Nov. 26 ruling by France’s highest court that his unsuccessful 2012 re-election campaign was illegally financed and an ongoing investigation into alleged witness tampering in the Libya case.
In 2023, he was convicted of corruption and influence peddling for trying to bribe a judge in exchange for information about a legal case involving him. The Supreme Court, France’s highest court, later upheld the decision.
access point
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