Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been released from La Santé prison after a judge ruled he could serve the rest of his five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy at home under strict judicial controls.

Sarkozy, accompanied by his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, left prison after describing his three weeks in solitary confinement as a “nightmare.”

He was jailed over allegations of seeking campaign funds from Libya’s late dictator Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 presidential bid, charges he continues to deny.

Under the terms of his release, Sarkozy is banned from leaving France or contacting justice officials or anyone involved in the case, The Guardian has reported.

He remains under appeal, with a new trial scheduled for next spring, as prosecutors seek to retry him on all charges related to the alleged Libyan funding scheme.