Overview
- Complément d’Enquête, which airs Thursday on France 2, published invoices showing two Napoléon figurines priced at €75,000 and €50,000.
- Lobbyist Robert Bourgi says he delivered the pieces to Dominique de Villepin, describing one as a 2002 gift from Burkina Faso’s then‑president Blaise Compaoré and the other as funded by Italian businessman Gian Angelo Perrucci.
- De Villepin confirms he received the items, says Bourgi paid for them, adds he would not have accepted them if he had known their origin, and says he is ready to return them.
- De Villepin’s team calls the disclosures a smear by a loyal ally of Nicolas Sarkozy, while Bourgi denies any role by Sarkozy and says he wants to block de Villepin’s path to the Élysée.
- No new legal step has been announced in the statuettes matter, and Bourgi’s past claims in high‑profile cases have faced questions after probes that ended without charges.