((("Let the Prince be hated so long as he is feared," as
Machiavelli used to say. Sarkozy gave Carla her own personal cellphone; I'd bet very good money that was a secured and encrypted cellphone.)))
Link: France's President Sarkozy Sues Over Fake SMS.
France's President Sarkozy Sues Over Fake SMS
Following the publication of an SMS, allegedly sent by France's President, Nicolas Sarkozy by the Nouvel Observateur newspaper - the President has launched legal action against the publication. The suit was filed yesterday on Sarkozy's behalf by lawyer Thierry Herzog over a report on the newspaper's website entitled "The obsession with Cecilia." It claimed that, eight days before marrying former model Carla Bruni, President Sarkozy sent his former wife an SMS message saying "If you come back, I'll call it all off."
However, the activist group Reporters Without Borders has condemned President Nicolas Sarkozy's use of the "toughest way" to sue the website of the Nouvel Observateur newspaper. "The president is suing the newspaper under criminal law when he could well have brought a civil suit for violation of privacy," the press freedom organisation said.
"The charge of ‘falsification and use and procurement of false documents' brought by the president's lawyer carries a prison sentence," Reporters Without Borders said. "No French president had sued the news media for the past 30 years at least," the press freedom organisation added.
The charges brought yesterday by Sarkozy's lawyer under article 441 of the criminal code carry a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros. A criminal suit by a French president is unprecedented. The suit Sarkozy brought against the low-cost airline Ryanair for using a photo of himself and Bruni in an ad without his consent was a civil action.
