Carla Bruni

In the investigation into manoeuvres surrounding Ziad Takieddine's false recantation in the case of alleged Libyan financing of Sarkozy's 2007 campaign, Carla Bruni was formally placed under investigation (mise en examen) on 9 July 2024 for handling the proceeds of witness tampering and criminal conspiracy to prepare organised fraud on the court. In December 2025, the PNF requested that she and ten other people be sent for trial before the criminal court.

Attribution

Directly implicated

On 25 September 2025, while leaving the hearing at which Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted in the Libyan case, Carla Bruni grabbed the foam windscreen of a Mediapart microphone and threw it to the ground. The gesture, filmed and widely circulated, was interpreted as an expression of hostility towards the outlet responsible for significant revelations in the affair.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Person targeted by the proceedings

Nicolas Sarkozy

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

Carla Bruni was among 56 signatories of an opinion piece published in late December 2023 supporting Gérard Depardieu, who was then the subject of several complaints of rape or sexual assault and numerous testimonies. The piece, defending the actor against what it characterised as a media-driven destruction of his reputation, prompted widespread criticism and opposing open letters.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The song 'Le Pingouin', released by Carla Bruni in 2013, describes a rude and ill-mannered man. Numerous commentators saw it as a caricature of François Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy's successor at the Élysée, giving the song a political dimension.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

A report by the Court of Auditors revealed that the Élysée had spent approximately 410 000 euros in 2011 and 2012 on a website specifically dedicated to Carla Bruni's activities as the President's wife. The amount, considered very high, triggered petitions and criticism of the use of public funds.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The 'Born HIV Free' campaign, supported by Carla Bruni as an ambassador for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, cost approximately 2.8 million dollars. Mediapart established that 2.2 million dollars had been awarded without competitive tender under exemption procedures, and that the company of Julien Civange, a close friend of Bruni, received approximately 580 000 euros for designing and coordinating the campaign.

State of the evidence

Documented

In an interview with Vogue, Carla Bruni stated that her generation did not need to be feminist, that she was not a feminist activist and that she was 'bourgeois'. The remarks prompted a strong reaction on social media, notably under the hashtag #ChereCarlaBruni, as well as criticism from feminist associations and political figures.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

After Silvio Berlusconi described Barack Obama as 'tanned', Carla Bruni stated in an interview that she was often very happy to have become French. The remark was interpreted as direct criticism of the Italian head of government and caused controversy in her country of origin.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated