At the heart of the investigations, a telephone nicknamed “43 97”, which could have been used by the Sarkozy couple to communicate discreetly with “Mimi” Marchand, former popess of the celebrity press and former friend of the model.
After having contested it, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy finally admitted at the beginning of July to having a telephone at the heart of the investigation into Ziad Takieddine's retraction of his accusations of Libyan financing of the 2007 campaign of her husband Nicolas Sarkozy, the AFP Friday from a source close to the matter.
On July 9, the wife of the former head of state (2007-2012) was indicted by two Parisian judges for concealment of witness tampering and criminal association with a view to fraud in the judgment in organized gang. In this legal case opened in mid-2021, Nicolas Sarkozy was implicated in October 2023, suspected of having approved maneuvers to obtain a temporary about-face at the end of 2020 from Ziad Takieddine, the main prosecution witness in this resounding affair including the main part will be judged in early 2025.
“43 97”
At the heart of the investigations, a telephone nicknamed “43 97”, which could have been used by the Sarkozy couple to communicate discreetly with “Mimi” Marchand, former popess of the celebrity press and former friend of the model. In front of the police in May, the singer of “Quelquun m’a dit” denied having this line. But on July 9, according to her statements to judges of which AFP became aware on Friday, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy ended up admitting to having “used this phone in an ellipse, sometimes”, assuring that it was “not an occult line” . The 56-year-old model, however, persisted in denying that she was the author and recipient of the text messages exchanged with Mimi Marchand which seemed to be linked to this so-called “Save Sarko” operation, and mentioned an “absolute coincidence”. For her, all this comes from Mimi Marchand, who “lies”, who “manipulates” and for whom she now harbors “hostility”.
Asked by AFP, Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy's lawyers, Me Paul Mallet and Benoît Martinez, responded that this line had been opened “well before” the operation subject of this investigation and is “therefore unrelated to”, d 'as much as she “used it to communicate occasionally with relatives, completely foreign to the procedure”. Nicolas Sarkozy's lawyer did not respond. Also interviewed by AFP, Me Caroline Toby indicated that her client Mimi Marchand “read with astonishment the harsh statements made by Carla Bruni-Sarkozy towards her. She has always affirmed that neither she nor her husband were involved in near or far (in the) alleged facts She does not understand this trial of intent.
