Key Facts

• Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s former President, was freed from prison after serving less than three weeks.
• Sarkozy was originally sentenced to five years for criminal conspiracy in financing his 2007 election campaign.
• The Paris appeals court allowed his release under judicial supervision.
• Sarkozy is not allowed to leave France or contact co-defendants and witnesses.
• An appeals trial for his case is likely to occur in the spring.
• Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing and claims he never sought election funding from Libya's Moammar Gadhafi.
• He described his time in prison as extremely difficult and referred to it as "a nightmare."
• There are additional legal proceedings against Sarkozy, including a ruling on his 2012 campaign financing.