Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be released from prison after a Paris court allowed to set him free pending an appeal for his conviction for criminal conspiracy.

For the first time in modern history, a former head of state was convicted in September for making a corruption pact with the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in return of receiving funding for the 2007 French presidential election campaign.

Speaking to the court on Monday via videolink, he said that his 20 days in prison had been, “very hard".

He, however, said the prison staff had “an exceptional humanity which made this nightmare bearable".

According to French magazine Le Point, the former President has refused to eat anything except yogurts reportedly due to fear of other prisoners spitting i

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