T24 International News
Former First Lady of France Carla Bruni is being questioned by the police as a suspect in a widespread corruption case.
Supermodel, former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, due to accusations of accepting millions from her husband, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, claimed he wanted to exonerate himself.
Bruni, born in the Paris office of the Center for Corruption, Financial and Tax Crimes, denied the allegations.
An official investigation is underway against the French media star Bruni, 56, for „witness tampering“ and „criminal corruption.“ Mimi Marchand was also indicated to be a close friend.
Marchand, 77, nicknamed the „Paparazzi Queen,“ is a 74-year-old former French-Lebanese arms dealer Ziad Takieddine. He is accused of paying money to Gaddafi in exchange for an affidavit claiming he facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars from Gaddafi to Sarkozy.
In an interview published four years ago in Paris Match magazine, Takieddine retracted the claim that suitcases full of money were delivered to Sarkozy’s colleagues. Allegedly, this money was used to finance Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign, in which he won his first and only term as President of France.
69-year-old Sarkozy stated in a 2020 interview that he was acquitted because the truth came to light.
The case involving Bruni is called „Operation Sarko Rescue“ and is being conducted alongside the Libya financing case, in which Sarkozy is also charged. According to the prosecution’s allegations, Takieddine, who is currently in Lebanon, received the equivalent of 4 million pounds to „change his story.“
Bruni has denied any involvement in the operation and stated that she tried to avoid legal proceedings against her husband, a convicted felon.
T24