Dominique de Villepin, a potential candidate in the 2027 presidential election, returned two statuettes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. His entourage disputes their value of 125,000 euros as claimed by Robert Bourgi. The move aims to end a controversy sparked by a TV investigation.
Dominique de Villepin returned two Napoleon statuettes to the Quai d'Orsay on Monday, May 4, 2026, that he had received as gifts during his tenure as foreign minister from 2002 to 2004, his entourage announced to AFP.
Robert Bourgi, a Françafrique figure, stated in the France 2 program 'Complément d'Enquête' aired last Thursday that he acted as intermediary for these gifts funded by Blaise Compaoré, then Burkina Faso president, and Italian businessman Gian Angelo Perrucci. He claimed purchase prices of 75,000 euros and 50,000 euros, totaling 125,000 euros.
Villepin's entourage disputes these figures, saying they are 'four to five times lower.' 'The expertise by one of France's top specialists, accredited to courts, estimated the market value at 18,000 to 20,000 euros for one and 10,000 to 12,000 euros for the other,' according to this source. Villepin believed they were gifts from Bourgi and was unaware of their true origin.
His team calls the accusations 'maneuvers' to 'settle political scores and create a smokescreen' while Nicolas Sarkozy faces justice. Bourgi, a Sarkozy loyalist, denies any involvement by the former president in the revelations.
