Andre Tarallo during his trial

A Paris court ordered Andre Tarallo's release because he has heart problems that cannot be treated in prison.

Tarallo, who headed the firm's African operation, was told to surrender his passport and remain at his Paris home.

The 76-year-old was one of three senior figures who were jailed in November for embezzling public funds from the formerly state-owned oil giant.

The Paris appeal court turned down a plea by another of the three - Alfred Sirven, 77 - for early release on medical grounds.

Mr Sirven and former company chairman Loik Le Floch-Prigent were given five-year jail terms last November. Tarallo received four years.

Culture of bribery

They are among 37 people accused of embezzling about $350m from the formerly state-owned oil giant Elf in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Prosecutors said that under Le Floch-Prigent's four-year tenure, the bribes paid out by Elf to officials around the world rocketed from $50m to $130m a year.

Elf had close links with the French state

Sirven, Le Floch-Prigent's former right-hand man, and Tarallo allegedly received jewels and properties. Le Floch-Prigent got the company to pay for his divorce.

Sirven and Tarallo admitted to "mistakes" - but argued that they were led astray by a culture of bribery at Elf.

Le Floch-Prigent admitted at the trial that he knew of the slush fund system but not in detail, and said that France's political elite at the time also knew about it and benefited from it.