A Paris court has granted former French President Nicolas Sarkozy his freedom after another court convicted him in September of criminal conspiracy.
Sarkozy was seen stepping out of his car and into his home on Monday after a 20-day prison stint.
He told the court virtually that the time behind bars had been “very hard.”
“I had never imagined I would experience prison at 70. This ordeal was imposed on me, and I lived through it. It’s hard, very hard,” he said. He credited prison staff, who he said exhibited “an exceptional humanity which made this nightmare bearable.”
Sarkozy, according to French magazine Le Point, refused to eat anything except yogurts due to the fear that other prisoners would spit in his food.
The former French president will be banned from leaving the country and cannot contact co-defendants and witnesses in the case, the court said. An appeals trial will likely take place sometime next year.
In September, Sarkozy became the first modern French president to be sent to prison after he conducted a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya.
He has remained steadfast in his claims that he did not commit the crimes.
“I will never admit something I didn’t do,” he said, denying he asked Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi for financing.
French law dictates that release is granted pending appeal, while detention is the exception.
FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT SARKOZY BEGINS FIVE-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE CONSPIRACY
Sarkozy served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, losing narrowly to former French President François Hollande to end his tenure.
He also faces other criminal proceedings, including a ruling incoming on Nov. 26 by France’s Court of Cassation over illegal financing of his failed 2012 reelection bid, and an ongoing investigation into alleged witness tampering in the Libya case.