Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the singer and model married to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has been summoned for a possible indictment in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged Libyan financing of Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign.
A source close to the case revealed on Saturday that the 56-year-old Bruni-Sarkozy is suspected of concealing witness tampering and being involved in an attempt to bribe Lebanese judicial personnel, among other potential violations.
This development comes after Sarkozy himself was charged in October 2023 with illegal witness tampering, as part of a wider probe examining whether he received funds from the late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi to support his 2007 election campaign. Investigators believe that several individuals close to Sarkozy may have been involved in paying a key witness to retract a statement that implicated the former president.
Bruni-Sarkozy faces the possibility of being formally charged or being designated as an assisted witness, a status that falls short of a formal charge under the French legal system. The date for her questioning has yet to be determined.
Bruni-Sarkozy has already been questioned twice by investigators, first as a witness in June 2023, and then as a suspect in early May. An investigation uncovered that Bruni-Sarkozy deleted all messages exchanged with French “paparazzi queen” Michele Marchand on the day Marchand was charged with witness tampering in June 2021.
The case centers around Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, who claimed on several occasions that he facilitated the delivery of up to five million euros ($5.3 million at current rates) in cash from Kadhafi to Sarkozy and his chief of staff in 2006 and 2007. However, in 2020, Takieddine unexpectedly retracted his incriminating statement, leading to suspicions that Sarkozy and his close allies might have influenced the witness to change his testimony.
Authorities became interested in Bruni-Sarkozy when Marchand justified her trips to the Sarkozy home as social visits with the singer.
Sarkozy is scheduled to stand trial in 2025 regarding the allegations that he conspired to receive cash from the Libyan leader to unlawfully fund his successful 2007 bid for the French presidency. The right-wing politician, who held office from 2007 to 2012, has faced numerous legal challenges since leaving office.
