Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has arrived home after being freed from prison following an appeal court hearing.

He arrived in a car with blacked-out windows, which was escorted by police on motorcycles.

Sarkozy, 70, who will be placed on judicial supervision, will also be banned from leaving French territory, the court said. An appeal trial is expected to take place in March.

Sarkozy has served just three weeks of a five-year sentence at La Sante prison in Paris for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya, after striking a deal with the country's long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

While incarcerated, reports emerged that he had received death threats, which began just a day into his sentence.

During Monday's hearing, Sarkozy, speaking via video conference, complained that life behind bars was a 'nightmare'.

'I had never imagined I would experience prison at 70. This ordeal was imposed on me, and I lived through it. It's hard, very hard,' he said. 'I would even say it's gruelling'.

The former president also paid tribute to prison staff who he said helped life behind bars 'bearable'.

His son, Louis, reacted to his release by sharing a picture of himself as a child with his father with the caption: 'Long live freedom.'

The former leader's lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, told reporters: 'Our job now, for Nicolas Sarkozy and for us, is to prepare for this appeal hearing.'

Sarkozy's wife, supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and two of his sons attended the hearing at the Paris courthouse.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, wife of France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy, leaves the Paris Court of Appeal on November 10, 2025

Sarkozy's wife, supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and two of his sons, attended the hearing at the Paris courthouse

Bruni was seen donning black sunglasses, a figure-hugging black coat and matching leather boots as she left the court with her head bowed.

A lower court in September found the right-winger - who was head of state from 2007 to 2012 - guilty of seeking to acquire funding from Muammar Gaddafi's Libya for the campaign that saw him elected.

Investigators believe that in return, Gaddafi was promised help to restore his international image after Tripoli was blamed for the 1988 bombing of a plane over Lockerbie, Scotland, and another over Niger in 1989, killing hundreds of passengers.

The court convicted Sarkozy of criminal conspiracy over the plan. But it did not conclude that he received or used the funds for his campaign.

Following his arrest, Sarkozy became the first former French head of state in modern times to be sent behind bars after his conviction on September 25.

He vehemently denies any wrongdoing and immediately filed for early release upon his arrest.

Monday's proceedings, however, did not involve the motives for the sentencing.

Still, Sarkozy told the court he never asked Gaddafi for any financing. 'I will never admit something I didn't do,' he said.

Prosecutor Damien Brunet asked that Sarkozy's request for release be granted.

'The risks of collusion and pressure on witnesses justify the request for release under judicial supervision,' he said.

The lower court in late September ordered Sarkozy to go to jail, even if he appealed, due to the 'exceptional gravity' of the conviction.

But the appeals case meant that Sarkozy was now presumed innocent again, and the court had to therefore evaluate his need for pre-trial detention.

Under French law, he could only be kept behind bars if no other way could be found to safeguard evidence, prevent witness tampering, stop him from escaping or reoffending, or to protect him.

Sarkozy could be put under house arrest with an electronic ankle tag.

Judges weighed whether Sarkozy presented a flight risk, could pressure witnesses, or obstruct justice.

Advocate General Damien Brunet, who represents the public interest, asked for Sarkozy to be released and placed under judicial supervision.

The appeals trial is due to take place in March.

The former president has spent just under three weeks in the Paris prison, separated from the general population with two bodyguards occupying a neighbouring cell to ensure his safety.

Prison wardens have said the move is an insult to their profession, but Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has said it is necessary in view of his 'status' and 'the threats against him'.

Sarkozy, late last month, also received a visit from Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, despite warnings from France's top prosecutor Remy Heitz that it risked 'undermining the independence of magistrates' before the appeals trial.

As part of the conditions of the release, he has been banned from contacting Darmanin.

Sarkozy's social media account last week posted a video of piles of letters, postcards and packages it said had been sent to him, some including a collage, a chocolate bar or a book.

On the day he entered jail, a large crowd sang the national anthem outside his home and urged him to 'come back quick'.

The former president, who governed from 2007 to 2012, faces separate proceedings, including a November 26 ruling by France's highest court over illegal financing of his failed 2012 reelection bid, and an ongoing investigation into alleged witness tampering in the Libya case.

In 2023, he was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling for trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated.

France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, later upheld the verdict.