Khaberni - A Paris court of appeal will decide today, Monday, whether former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, imprisoned over the Libya case, can be released.
After being sentenced to 5 years in prison, Sarkozy was detained three weeks ago under a court order for immediate execution of the sentence, despite appealing his conviction.
The 70-year-old man's lawyers immediately filed a release request, which the court is scheduled to rule on today, with the appeal trial expected to begin next spring.
The Libya case revolves around allegations that Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign received unlawful funding from the regime of then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Although the Paris criminal court found no direct evidence of this, it concluded in its ruling that Sarkozy and his associates at least attempted to obtain funds from the Gaddafi regime.
Therefore, the court convicted Sarkozy of membership in a criminal organization. No former head of state in modern French history has received such a severe punishment. Sarkozy insists on his innocence of the charges against him.
