Jean Sarkozy sues for "invasion of privacy"

It's a case that raises the problem of how far the media has the right to pry into the private lives of public people. And the issue is rearing its head once again here in France - with a Sarkozy at the centre of legal action.

No, not the president, Nicolas, but the younger of his two grown up sons from his first marriage, Jean.

He's suing two of the country's weekly magazines specialising in celebrity news "Voici" and "VSD" and there's a fair chance that there will be more law suits to follow.

Sarkozy is upset at the publication of photographs published in both magazines taken without his consent at his recent marriage to Jessica Sebaoun.

And on his political blog the 22-year-old also puts the record straight about some "facts" that have appeared in the French media lately - and especially celebrity news magazines.

"As you can probably tell recently there have been stories based on rumours concerning my private life," he writes.

"I have never agreed to give any interview (on the subject) nor given my consent to the use of the photographs.

"All I have done is to simply deny - officially - the desire that I have supposedly expressed to want to convert to Judaism."

Those reports began circulating after it was suggested by a French cartoonist that Sarkozy was about to convert. His wife, Jessica is Jewish and the daughter of the heiress to the large electronics retail company, Darty.

Photographs of the couple were taken after their marriage on September 10 and published in this week's edition of "Voici" and republished in other magazines.

Speaking to AFP, Sebaoun's lawyer Bruno Illouz said that the pictures had been taken without the couple's consent.

"There are public places that become private under certain circumstances and especially when access is reserved ," he said.

"This was a private ceremony and photographs were not supposed to be taken for publication."

Defending itself, an editor in charge of the two magazines maintained that they had been well within their rights to publish.

"It's a journalistic subject because all the media was talking about it," Philippe Labi told AFP.

"We have done our job in the most professional and calm way possible without any aggression."

Part of the problem here in France is that although privacy laws are in theory very strict, there have been many cases of the line being blurred.

Weekly celebrity news magazines have over the years often published stories and photographs of "stars" and when sued, simply coughed up the fine.

Since (Nicolas) Sarkozy came to office in May last year, politicians have increasingly been subjected to that celebrity status, none more so perhaps than the French president himself.

His divorce from Cécilia and whirlwind romance and subsequent marriage to Carla, was the stuff guaranteed to increase magazine circulation figures both at home and abroad.

This latest case involving a Sarkozy and the law is far from being an isolated one. Over the past few months the family has been no stranger to legal action.

In June, the Paris public prosecutor recommended charges be dropped against Jean in the case of a hit-and-run scooter incident.

And in February his father and the first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, won damages against the low-cost airline, Ryanair, for the unauthorised use of a photograph of the couple in an advertisement.

No date has yet been fixed for a hearing over this latest action but Sarkozy and his wife are reported to be seeking damages of €30,000, and if they win their case the money would be donated to charity.

The 22-year-old is the second son from the French president's first marriage and has already carved out something of a name for himself in local politics.

He won a seat on the regional council of Haut-de-Seine in March in June and was elected president of the centre-right grouping of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP) party - Nouveau Centre in the same regional council.