Nicolas Sarkozy has been granted parole in the case of his election campaign financing.

71-year-old former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been granted parole after serving four months in prison, according to Paris-based radio station RTL.

Sarkozy repeatedly appealed the court's decision to restrict his freedom for only six months for embezzling funds from his election campaign, but the former president was only released after requesting parole. The court, taking Sarkozy's age into account, granted the request.

As a result, for embezzlement (Sarkozy spent 42.7 million euros on his election campaign, with a limit of 22.5 million euros, and illegally attracted funds from Muammar Gaddafi), the former president wore an electronic bracelet for four months that tracked his movements.

It's worth noting that this isn't the first criminal case against the former French president, who governed the republic from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, Sarkozy was convicted of corruption and influence peddling during his presidential term and sentenced to three years of restricted freedom. He served this sentence on probation and was subsequently released early.

Sarkozy's latest sentence was five years in prison. In October 2025, the politician reported to one of Paris's oldest prisons, the Prison de la Santé, to serve his sentence. However, instead of five years, he served only 20 days. The court then upheld his appeal, and he was released.

After his release from prison, Sarkozy announced the release of his memoirs, titled "Diary of a Prisoner," on social media. Interestingly, during his time in prison, the former president refused almost all food, fearing poisoning: for 20 days, Sarkozy subsisted solely on yogurt.

Nicolas was accompanied to prison by his wife, model Carla Bruni. The couple are raising their 14-year-old daughter, Julia, together. Sarkozy also has three older sons.

Photo: carlabruni, nicolassarkozy/Instagram**