“Now that I am free and reunited with my family, I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who wrote, supported and defended me.” These were the first words of the former French president Nicolas Sarkozy After him Released from La Sainte prison in Paris Monday afternoon, after the Paris Court of Appeal granted it on probation That same morning.
In a message on the social media network “X”, the former head of state of France between 2007 and 2012 expressed his gratitude to those who supported him during his 20-day stay in prison. “The thousands of messages of support you have sent have touched me deeply and given me the strength to endure this difficult ordeal,” he said, adding that his goal now is to prepare his appeal: “My energy is focused entirely on proving my innocence. The truth will prevail. This is the lesson that life teaches us.”
For Sarkozy, who is 70 years old, the French judiciary issued a decree Freedom under Judicial oversightWhich includes – in addition to preventing him from leaving France and contacting the rest of those convicted in the case – the impossibility of “contacting” the current Minister of Justice, Gerald Darmanin, who visited him in prison and who is also a close friend of his after he belonged to a political party in the past decade. “The end of the story has not been written yet.”The former president concluded his message on Monday.
Nicolas Sarkozy was 70 years old. He was sentenced in September to five years in prison Because he allowed his key collaborators to negotiate with officials in Muammar Gaddafi’s regime to obtain funds for the 2007 presidential election campaign, which he won. The former president appealed this decision.
The former head of state’s lawyers had submitted a request for release shortly after he entered prison – on October 21 – arguing, among other things, that their client He did not pose a danger When it comes to destroying potential evidence, he will not leave the country because his entire family resides there and prison poses a real risk to his safety.
This Monday, Sarkozy left La Sante through the main door In his official car, with its windows closed, accompanied by the police. From there, the former president was transferred to his apartment in the 16th district of the French capital with his wife, Carla Bruni. There was a strong media presence, but they did not appear.
His stay in prison: writing and sports
At the morning hearing, the conservative leader had the opportunity to present an argument aimed at convincing the court. In it, Sarkozy described his life behind bars as “a very difficult and stressful matter.” “I want to thank the extraordinary humanity of the prison staff for turning this around nightmare “From prison to something possible,” said the former head of state, who spent three weeks behind bars. Write about this experience and exerciseAccording to his lawyer.
His wife, Carla Bruni, Two of his four children (Jean and Pierre) and his brother François to follow the session, which also received huge media expectations and in which the authorities confiscated mobile phones to avoid taking pictures or sound during the session.
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