- France’s former first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy charged in election funding scandal
- She is facing charges of hiding evidence, associating with wrongdoers to commit fraud, suspected of witness tampering and attempting to bribe Lebanese judicial personnel
- Her lawyers says she will challenge the charges
- Her husband Nicolas Sarkozy, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, will stand trial next year for allegedly taking money from Gaddafi to finance his campaign
France’s former first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy charged in election funding scandal
France’s former first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, has been charged in an election funding scandal from 2007 involving money from the former Libyan dictator, Col Muammar Gaddafi. She faces charges of hiding evidence and associating with wrongdoers to commit fraud. Additionally, she is suspected of witness tampering and attempting to bribe Lebanese judicial personnel.
Her lawyers says she will challenge the charges. She is under judicial control and cannot contact other accused individuals except her husband, former President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Sarkozy, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, will stand trial next year for allegedly taking money from Gaddafi to finance his campaign. The investigation began in 2013 after accusations from Gaddafi’s son and Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, who claimed to have delivered cash to Sarkozy.
Bruni-Sarkozy was found to have deleted messages relevant to the case. Since leaving office, Sarkozy has faced multiple legal issues, including a suspended prison sentence for bribery and a conviction for illegal campaign funding.
🇫🇷 The wife of former French president Nicolas #Sarkozy, #CarlaBruni, has been placed under formal investigation.
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) July 10, 2024
🧑⚖️ She's accused of hiding evidence related to the alleged Libyan financing of her husband's 2007 presidential campaign.@FRANCE24's Angela Diffley explains ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/7BNKjauF20