Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday was freed from prison, a 20-day experience the former president called a "nightmare", as a judge ordered his release pending an appeal decision over Libyan funding.

Sarkozy was freed from La Sante prison in Paris shortly before 3 pm (1400 GMT) on Monday, a source familiar with the case told AFP.

The 70-year-old former president, who maintains his innocence, departed in a car with tinted windows, escorted by police motorcyclists.

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 s

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