French court to decide if Nicolas Sarkozy can leave prison – Europe live

8.39am GMT Hearing about Sarkozy's potential release begins The hearing is now under way. 8.36am GMT Former Sarkozy rival in the 2007 presidential election, Ségolène Royal, told TF1 she would not be shocked if he gets released from jail today. She said that just as making him go into prison – even for a bit – seemed to follow the existing case law, so would his possible release today. Human rights activists seem to agree with that take, saying he may no longer meet the conditions for pre-trial detention. But let’s see what happens. 8.33am GMT Sarkozy's family and allies arrive in court Sarkozy’s wife Carla Bruni has arrived at the Paris Appeal Court to support her husband in his effort to leave jail after just 20 days. His lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, is also (obviously) there. Updated at 8.34am GMT 8.30am GMT Morning opening: What's next for Nicolas Sarkozy? A French court is expected to decide today on whether the country’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy could be released from jail pending his appeal against a five-year sentence over criminal conspiracy to obtain election campaign funds from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy has been in jail since 21 October, but his lawyers immediately requested that he be released pending trial, with an ankle tag or a house arrest as other available options. He is expected to appear in court via video call. Related: Nicolas Sarkozy enters prison to begin five-year sentence over criminal conspiracy AFP noted that the former president last month received a visit from justice minister Gérald Darmanin, despite warnings from France’s top prosecutor Remy Heitz that it risked “undermining the independence of magistrates” before the appeals trial. Last week, Sarkozy used his social media to thank people for all letters of support sent to the prison, adding: “The end of this story has not been written yet.” The hearing is expected to start shortly, and a decision could come as early as this afternoon. I will keep an eye on this story for you. Separately, we will also cover some latest developments from Belgium, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Ukraine, among others. It’s Monday, 10 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.