A French court yesterday ordered a news website to withdraw recordings an adviser secretly took of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy during his 2012 election campaign.

In an emergency ruling sought by Sarkozy, who is expected by many to enter the next presidential contest in 2017, the Paris court also ordered the adviser, Patrick Buisson, to make a damages downpayment of €10,000 to the conservative leader and wife Carla Bruni.

Revelations in early March that Buisson, once part of Sarkozy’s inner circle, had recorded hours of talks with the conservative leader and his entourage, caused uproar in the opposition UMP party ahead of late March local elections.

The Paris court ordered right-wing news website Atlantico.fr to pull postings of the recordings rapidly or face daily fines.

Sarkozy’s lawyer Thierry Herzog said he was “satisfied” with the court ruling and Richard Malka, a lawyer representing Sarkozy’s wife Carla Bruni, added: “This decision shows that the end does not justify the means.

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