News about Nicolas Sarkozy

Former French first lady and supermodel Carla Bruni (left) was today being questioned by police as a criminal suspect in a wide-ranging corruption case. The 56-year-old is said to have tried to 'whitewash' her husband, former President Nicolas Sarkozy (right, on the left), 69, over allegations that he accepted millions in cash from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi (right). Bruni, who denies any wrongdoing, on Thursday attended the Paris offices of the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Tax Offenses. 'Her status is free suspect,' said a source close to the case. 'She has spoken to officers before, but not as a suspect in a case in which she's accused of trying to whitewash her husband.' Bruni is a close friend of Mimi Marchand - a French media fixer who has been placed under formal investigation for 'witness tampering' and 'criminal corruption'.

PETER HITCHENS: Lord Slippery of Tripoli proves almost daily that he is the man in this country who is most strongly unqualified to be Foreign Secretary. Last week he annoyed the Americans by telling them to shower money for munitions on to Ukraine. I think Baron Cameron has done this three times since he took on his new post, twice by flying at our expense to Washington DC and once by penning an article for a political website in the American capital. The main response has been nothing. But last week the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, squelched our former premier by refusing even to meet him. There were immediate sad cries of, 'What about the Special Relationship?', but as I keep telling you, there is no such thing. We matter to the Americans slightly more than Bulgaria, and much less than Ireland.

Although there isn't much to admire about the French beauty mogul, it's still an uphill battle for any billionaire to dethrone the 70-year-old whose fortune has risen to an estimated $99.5 billion. Bettencourt Meyers - the granddaughter of L'Oreal founder Eugene Schueller's - has inherited a large share of the French beauty behemoth, which she and her husband Jean-Pierre Meyers and their two children own. Jean-Pierre is the grandson of Rabbi Robert Meyers, who was assassinated in Auschwitz in 1943, and the couple's children, Jean-Victor and Nicolas Meyers, were raised Jewish. Their marriage ignited controversy during the Second World War as her L'Oreal founding grandfather was charged with 'economic and political involvement' with the Nazis during the Second World War, although a postwar tribunal later cleared him. According to the annual Forbes list, Bettencourt Meyers came out on top after L'Oreal's share price increased 20% this year as she increased her fortune by a massive $19 billion.

LORD BLUNKETT: The trade in human misery, which has tens of thousands of undocumented migrants being abused across the Channel every year, is a tragically avoidable tragedy. When people smuggling became a serious issue for border control, we had the solution practically in our pockets. And we could also make the product work. Identity cards are a simple, cost-effective, and inexpensive alternative, and they will destabilize the corporate model of multinational gangs profiting billions from human trafficking.

The 69-year-old's lawyers had requested that the Paris Appeal Court revoke his one-year prison term with six months suspended, but the judge upheld the decision on Wednesday. It came after a five-week trial at the city's Correctional Court three years ago, when Sarkozy was found guilty of fiddling the books during his failed 2012 attempt to become governor of the state. During the reading of the new 244-page verdict, Sarkozy, the President of France for five years before 2012, was present in court. According to a person close to the politician, he was 'determined to protect himself' so as not to go to prison. Rather than ending up in a cell, he is now expected to serve his term in an electronic tag at the Paris home he shares with his third wife, Carla Bruni, 56.

Quite why the man who rules the world's favourite tax haven (pictured right with his wife Princess Charlene) needed such a bolthole (left) a few streets from the fabulous 'Pink Palace' is gripping super-rich denizens fearful their own sources of wealth may be revealed

Prada and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as Lancome, are among the family businesses' brands. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of the L'Oreal founder and now the world's richest woman, has a more understated appearance. A pair of large, heavy-rimmed glasses and a vibrant scarf, often worn with a practical trouser suit, are among the 70-year-old's most popular items. She doesn't have a black eyeliner, and when not dealing with company affairs she writes books.

Carla Bruni, the 55-year-old former supermodel and French first lady, said she was diagnosed with the disease in a touching Instagram post on Wednesday. It was a time when she was under intense strain because her husband, former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, 68, was convicted twice in a criminal court. In a video, Ms Bruni says, 'I was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago.' I follow the conventional route of treating this type of cancer: surgery, radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy.' 'I was lucky,' but my cancer wasn't yet aggressive.' Why was this cancer not aggressive? It's because it didn't have time to become so popular.'

According to winemakers, French consumers are increasingly opting for lighter wines with lower alcohol content, and young people are especially popular. Rosé wine is now a year-round favorite around the world, just as red wine is losing favor. While worldwide demand for bottles of Bordeaux remains high, with red wine accounting for more than a quarter of all wine production, the exception being the 1990s. Thomas Montagne, a French winemaker who produces red, white, and rose wines, said, "We had the "French paradox" in the 1990s, where studies showed that red wine was good for your health. People, especially the young, are now drinking rose wines, which are quicker to drink, contain less tannins, and feel more festive.'

From Queen Victoria's ground-breaking visit in 1855 to today, the Royal Family has had a long love affair with France. However, no senior citizens will have such strong personal feelings about its capital city as King Charles, who is due to be back in August 19 for a second time. For him, Paris is the scene of dramatic and tragic events: the final sad denouement of the Abdication Crisis in a Bois de Boulogne mansion and the tragic death of Diana, mother to his two children, in August 1997.

When King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive in France next week for their State Visit, it will be an enriching display of these two neighbors' unique friendship, which includes so much history as both allies and competitors. Despite the fact that the republic was established after the Revolution, the country is also able to put on a spectacular display for grand occasions. However, the host country's atmosphere will be both dramatic and apprehensive. It would be impossible to escape the reality of the madness that grips France as social unrest looms, political depositions, racial inequities, and economic stagnation persists.

Carla Bruni, the Italian model, looked sensational as she strolled on the beach with her husband Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Venice. Carla, 55, showed her slim figure in a black swimming costume as the pair, who have been married since 2008, walked along the beach hand in hand. Sarkozy, 68, is seen in matching black swimming shorts as he laughed with Carla on Monday. The two actors are currently in Venice, Italy, for the 2023 Venice International Film Festival, which is much more low-key than previous years due to strikes in Hollywood.

Following the conclusion of the decade-long inquiry into the financing, Nicolas Sarkozy, 68, and 12 others will all be charged in 2025, according to Jean-Francois Bohnert, the national financial prosecutor. The lawsuit is the largest of many graft probes involving the right-wing politician. He has been arrested in two other instances, but he denies any wrongdoing in any situation. He is charged with unlawful campaign funding, embezzling, passive misconduct, and other related charges in the Libya case.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the disgraced former French president, has been dubbed a "mendacious clown" and "shameful" for assisting Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with Moscow to promote his 560-page book Les Temps des Combats (The Time of Battles), the 68-year-old defended Moscow. He argued that Ukraine should not be able to join Nato or the EU in the interview and book, and referred to the region as "belligerent." A return of the Crimea to Ukraine,' he said, was "illusory." Mr Sarkozy writes in a superior copy of the book, which The Observer discovered, that we are fighting a war against Russia and not fighting it.' We are clearly not on the ground, but we are certainly not delivering arms to one of the belligerents'.

Julia Lemigova, 51, the 66-year-old, who cut her hair short yesterday in what she described as a 'f**k cancer' style, has been aided by her wife of seven years Julia Lemigova, 51, throughout her cancer battle. Julia has often praised her wife, saying she 'immagines her every day' and that battling cancer was like 'playing singles against the nastiest double partners she has ever encountered in her life.' Julia, who was born in Soviet Russia in 1972, the daughter of a colonel in the USSR army, has suffered with her own personal tragedy, including the death of her infant son. She has appeared on the Real Housewives of Miami and has had a fruitful career as a model, becoming the last ever Miss USSR.

Sian Boyle books an easyJet holiday package to Bodrum and discovers that there is no hint of a budget orange utility.' She lives at the five-star, all-inclusive LuJo hotel, which she describes as a "vast resort" with 15 bars, ten pools, and a coastline of private beach complete with cabanas and Maldivian-style beach beds.'

Carla Bruni showed her beauty on the catwalk, but she showed her respect on the red carpet of Cannes Film Festival on Sunday. In a royal blue floor length gown, the former first lady of France, 55, who is married to former President Nicolas Sarkozy, looked jaw-dropping. Carla's one shoulder strap dress complemented her slim figure and flaunted her toned arms.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has lost his appeal against a prison term. Since a Paris appeals court ruled that he could instead serve his time at home wearing a badge, the ex president has escaped a prison term. But what exactly did Nicolas Sarkozy do to get himself into trouble?Why is he not going to jail?When was he president of France? Here's what you need to hear about the former French president.

On Wednesday, the Paris Appeal Court ruled that two years will be postponed, and that the 68-year-old can wear an electronic tag rather than sitting in a cell for the third year. Sarkozy and his counsel, Thierry Herzog, were found guilty in 2021 of promising to bribe a judge in exchange for private information. It was related to yet another corruption probe, focusing on whether Sarkozy accepted illicit contributions from late L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt to fund his 2007 election campaign. Sarkozy's 2021 guilty verdict made him the first former French president to be found guilty of graft while in office.

According to Forbes, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers (left) of France is worth $80.5 billion (£64 billion) having inherited her mother's 33% stake in the cosmetics business in 2017. Although she has been on L'Oreal's board of directors since 1997 and is chairwoman of the family trust, she is not solely focused on her company's operations. She was raised as a strict Catholic and has written books on topics ranging from Greek mythology to Jewish-Christian relationships. Francoise has been president of her family's philanthropic foundation, which promotes French scientists and artists. Francoise owes her remarkable fortune to the 33% stake her family retained in the cosmetics business, which she inherited as sole heiress following her mother's death in 2017 and also the world's richest woman. Liliane and her father were photographed in 1997 on the top-right. During the Second World War, Francoise's marriage to the grandson of a rabbi murdered in Auschwitz sparked controversy, as her grandfather Eugene Schueller (bottom-right), a pharmacist who invented a hair dye named L'Oreal in 1908, was charged with 'economic and political participation' with the Nazis.

On Tuesday evening, the 55-year-old, who is married to former President Nicolas Sarkozy, put on a leggy display as she stepped out at the Saint Laurent show during Paris Fashion Week. She cut a chic figure in a black jacket that she cinched in at the waist with a coordinated belt.

Every week, Holiday Hero Neil Simpson takes an in-depth look at a popular holiday topic, including all the legwork so you don't have to worry. This week: Farm stays in Tuscany. Farm stays, as well known as agriturismos, are a result of agriculture and tourism, which has resulted in the provision of accommodation in stunning countryside, according to Neil. 'When little family farms struggling to survive turned to tourism to earn more money,' he says, 'Italy's agriturismos started welcoming visitors in the 1960s.'

The horrific scenes came after a day of strikes and street protests that culminated in more than 1.2 million demonstrators on Tuesday. A Paris march involving hundreds of thousands of people was peaceful right up to the point of being disrupted,' a local police spokesman said.' The spokesman for Napoleon's national monument said, "stones were thrown at soldiers around Les Invalides before the order was restored in the early evening.'

Carla Bruni, 55, who is married to former France Nicolas Sarkozy's president, posted the report on Instagram, describing Prince Harry as "daring" and "brave." (left, right, and insets) 'It is rare for someone whose existence is so firmly planned to fight for a life, his own,' she said.