FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiSarkozy, who told the court that his three weeks in prison had been a 'nightmare', will serve the rest of his sentence at home pending an appeal.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be released from prison after a judge ruled that he can serve the rest of his sentence at home, Le Monde reports.
Sarkozy had told the court that his three weeks in prison had been "exhausting" and a "nightmare" as he appeared by video link from prison.
The former President of the Republic was sentenced on September 25 to five years in prison with an immediate arrest warrant for criminal conspiracy in the case of the Libyan financing of his presidential campaign.
Sarkozy entered Paris' La Santé prison on October 21 after a Paris court handed him a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain campaign funds for his 2007 presidential run from the regime of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
He denies wrongdoing and has appealed the decision, with a new appeals trial scheduled for next spring. Judges ruled last month that because of the "extraordinary gravity" of his sentence, he should go to prison while the appeals process continued.
A Paris appeals court on Monday approved Sarkozy's request for release to serve his sentence at home under strict judicial supervision. Under the terms of his release, Sarkozy will be prohibited from speaking to any justice ministry official. He will also be prohibited from speaking to others involved in the case and will be banned from leaving France.
At a hearing on Monday, Sarkozy, dressed in a navy blue suit, appeared before cameras from prison, sitting at a table with his lawyers beside him. He told the court: "I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, who are extremely humane and who have made this nightmare bearable because it is a nightmare."
"I never had any idea or intention to ask Mr. Gaddafi for any kind of financing... I will never confess to something I did not do... I never imagined that at the age of 70 I would be in prison. It is a test that has been imposed on me. I confess that it is difficult, it is very difficult. It leaves a mark on every prisoner because it is exhausting," he said.
Sarkozy is being held in solitary confinement for his own safety, in an individual cell measuring about 9 square meters with his own shower and toilet. Two bodyguards have occupied an adjacent cell to ensure his safety. The French weekly Le Point reported that he had only eaten yogurt in prison for fear of spitting up food. He had the opportunity to cook for himself, but refused to do so, the magazine reported.
Keto vende "demokratike" "frymezojne" boten me parimet e tyre!