Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been released from prison, three weeks into a five-year sentence for his involvement in a criminal conspiracy related to his 2007 election campaign.

Sarkozy will remain under strict judicial supervision and is barred from leaving France as he awaits an appeal trial scheduled for next year.

Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, is the first former French leader to be imprisoned since World War II, when Nazi collaborator Philippe Pétain was jailed for treason in 1945.

During his time in prison, Sarkozy was held in a solitary cell in the isolation wing, which included a toilet, shower, desk, a small electric hob, a TV (for which he paid a €14 monthly fee), and a small fridge. He was allowed limited contact with the outside world, including family visits, phone and written communication, and one hour of daily exercise in a segregated courtyard.

The 70-year-old former centre-right president has faced multiple criminal inquiries since leaving office. He had previously been required to wear an electronic ankle tag following his conviction last December for attempting to bribe a magistrate to obtain confidential information in a separate case.

Sarkozy was sentenced on October 21 to five years in prison for conspiring to fund his 2007 campaign using money from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. His legal team immediately filed a request for his release, which was granted.

Following his release, Sarkozy took to social media, stating that his “energy is focused solely on the single goal of proving my innocence.” He added: “The truth will prevail… The end of the story is yet to be written.”

As part of the conditions of his release, Sarkozy is prohibited from contacting witnesses involved in the so-called “Libyan dossier” or any employees of the French justice ministry.

Speaking to a court in Paris via video link on Monday morning, Sarkozy described his prison experience as “gruelling” and “a nightmare.” He insisted he never sought money from Gaddafi and would “never admit to something I haven’t done.” He also praised prison staff, saying they had shown “exceptional humanity” during his confinement. (ILKHA)