Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday was set to be freed from prison as a judge ordered his release from jail pending an appeal hearing over Libyan funding.

During the examination of Sarkozy’s request in court earlier Monday, prosecutors had requested Sarkozy, 70, be freed after 20 days in jail that the former president called a “nightmare”.

A lower court in September found the right-wing politician — who was head of state from 2007 to 2012 — guilty of seeking to acquire funding from Moamer Kadhafi’s Libya for the campaign that saw him elected, and sentenced him to five years behind bars.

He entered jail on October 21, becoming the first former head of a European Union state to be incarcerated, and his lawyers swiftly sought his release.

Sarkozy was expected to be released

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