Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy given early jail release

Source: UPI

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy will be released from jail as he seeks appeal of his recent conviction for alleged criminal conspiracy attempt. In September, Sarkozy was convicted of conspiracy stemming from campaign finance funding from the late Libyan strongman leader Moammar Gaddafi.

He could be set free as early as Monday from La Sante prison while awaiting a pending appeal trial in March, according to the BBC and CNN. On Monday, the former center-right politician said his 20 days behind bars had been "very hard."

Sarkozy gave tribute to prison staff, saying via videolink they showed "an exceptional humanity which made this nightmare bearable.". Sarkozy has vehemently denied any wrongdoing in the case, which alleged his 2007 presidential campaign was funded by millions of euros from Libya.

He reported to the high-security prison in Paris in October to begin a five-year sentence where he reportedly was housed in a "VIP" unit with a security detail. According to Sarkozy, the books he took with him were two volumes of "The Count of Monte Cristo" and a biography of Jesus Christ.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/former-french-president-nicolas-sarkozy-153618866.html