France News

French magazine Closer to pay damages to Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz

Wednesday, 30 January 2008

French magazine Closer to pay damages to Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's former-wife, who is now known as Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz, has won 30,000 euros (£22,321) in damages from Closer magazine, which published photos of her in a swimsuit.

A photograph of Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz, 50, appeared alongside one of Carla Bruni, 40, an ex-model who is now Nicolas Sarkozy’s girlfriend, and she is also pictured wearing a bikini. It appears that Closer magazine is making a visual comparison between the two women.

A Paris court ruled that Closer magazine was guilty of violating the former First Lady's right to privacy, and Cecila Ciganer-Albeniz's lawyer, Michele Cahen, called the court's verdict "a very fair decision."

The lawyer for Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz claimed that the photos "were revealing of malicious intent" toward her client because it appeared that the pictures "were comparing goods".

President Nicolas Sarkozy and Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz were divorced in October, after an 11-year marriage.

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