Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni secret recordings leaked online

Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni are to launch legal action after secret recordings of them were leaked online.

Lawyers for Nicolas Sarkozy say France’s former president and first lady will file a request for an injunction to prevent more from being published.

They say the recordings were made by a former aide, Patrick Buisson, without the couple’s knowledge.

Though embarrassing, the transcripts are unlikely to cause political damage, correspondents say.

Nicolas Sarkozy was said to be furious after it emerged that Patrick Buisson had recorded hundreds of hours of meetings and private conversations during his 2007-2012 term as French president.

In a statement, Patrick Buisson’s lawyer confirmed that the tapes had been made but claimed they had been done to help him to keep a proper record of all discussions with Nicolas Sarkozy and other officials.

Most of the recordings were destroyed and those that have been made public must have been stolen, the lawyer added.

Some of the recordings were published by satirical magazine Le Canard Enchaine and website Atlantico on Wednesday.

The initial revelations contain excerpts in which top officials express scorn over the presence of Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife at meetings at the Elysee.

They also suggest that Carla Bruni-Sarkozy was unhappy she had lost income when she married Nicolas Sarkozy, and hoped to boost her finances by advertising anti-ageing products.

Nicolas Sarkozy himself is shown to have been dismissive, even mocking, of the capacities of some of his ministers.