A court in Paris will decide whether to release former President Nicolas Sarkozy from prison on Monday, just 20 days after he was incarcerated. Last month, Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison following his conviction for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his winning 2007 campaign with funds from Libya. But as soon as he was incarcerated on Oct. 21, his legal team filed a request for an early release, per the AP.
Sarkozy's legal team is also appealing his conviction, with a trial on track to take place in the spring. On Monday, a court is to make a decision based on article 144 of France's criminal code, which states that release should be the general rule pending appeal, with detention the exception—for example, for those considered dangerous or at risk of fleeing to another country. If granted, Sarkozy would be placed under judicial supervision and could be released from La Santé prison in Paris within a few hours.
Sarkozy, 70, is the first former president of modern France sentenced to actual time behind bars. He was previously convicted on corruption charges, but was ordered to wear an electronic monitor rather than serve a prison sentence. In its Sept. 25 ruling, a Paris court said Sarkozy, as a presidential candidate and interior minister, used his position "to prepare corruption at the highest level" from 2005 to 2007 with the aim of financing his presidential campaign with funds from Libya—then led by longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
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