The French judiciary has charged Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, wife of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, in connection with the Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign. After a two-hour interrogation by financial investigators, Bruni-Sarkozy was charged with multiple offenses, including hiding evidence and participating in a conspiracy to commit fraud.
A judicial source indicated that Bruni-Sarkozy, 57, was placed under judicial supervision and barred from contacting other suspects, except her husband. The charges stem from alleged attempts to manipulate key witness Ziad Takieddine, who retracted his accusations against Nicolas Sarkozy, and efforts to deceive investigators probing the Libyan financing allegations.
While Bruni-Sarkozy avoided charges related to bribing foreign judicial officials, she was deemed an “assisted witness” in that context. Her defense attorneys criticized the charges as baseless and vowed to challenge them.
The investigation, which began in May 2021, focuses on uncovering the roles of 12 individuals close to Sarkozy in persuading Takieddine to change his testimony. Takieddine had initially accused Sarkozy of receiving Libyan funds for his campaign but later recanted, unexpectedly absolving the former president.
Nicolas Sarkozy, who faces trial early next year for “concealing the embezzlement of public funds” and “illegal campaign financing,” has consistently denied any wrongdoing. His defense team has filed motions to dismiss the charges, and the legal battle continues as the French judiciary seeks to unravel the complex web of alleged financial misconduct linked to the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
