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Sarkozy, Carla Bruni's house raided in political funding scam | Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and wife Carla
Bruni-Sarkozy's home and offices have been raided by the French police. In a dramatic
new development in the political funding scandal, magistrates are investigating
claims that the house staff of Liliane Bettencourt, heiress to the L'Oréal cosmetics
empire and France's richest woman, had handed over brown envelopes stuffed with
cash to Sarkozy and his aides to finance his successful 2007 presidential campaign.
According to The Telegraph, police officers from Paris 's financial brigade raided
a town mansion belonging to Carla Bruni-Sarkozy where the former first couple
lives, as well the law firm where Sarkozy used to be an associate, and the offices
he was entitled to as the former head of state. Sarkozy and his wife were away
on holiday in Canada when a Bordeaux judge and a dozen fraud squad officers burst
into their home in the chic 16th arrondissement, before moving onto the Arnaud,
Claude and associates law firm which Sarkozy, a lawyer by training, partly owns,
and his offices in rue de Miromesnil near the Champs-Elysées. The former UMP leader
lost his presidential immunity on June 16, a month after leaving office, and there
had been speculation that the judge would approach him as part of the illegal
cash donation inquiry. Several former employees of Bettencourt and her late husband
André have reportedly the told the judge that Sarkozy discreetly turned up at
their mansion in Neuilly at least twice before his election in February and April
2007. The staff members include her former chauffeur, nurse and butler.
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