SARKOZY LEGAL ACTION
Ryanair Holdings PLC
31 January 2008
RYANAIR RESPONDS TO LEGAL ACTION
FROM PRESIDENT SARKOZY AND MS CARLA BRUNI
Ryanair, France's largest low fares airline today (Thursday, 31 January 2008)
responded to a legal action launched by President Sarkozy and Ms Carla Bruni,
relating to a humorous advert, which ran in the Le Parisien newspaper last week.
Ryanair has previously written to President Sarkozy's office apologising for any
offence caused, and undertaking that it would not publish the advert (or
anything similar to it) again. Ryanair has also offered - as a token of its
regret - to make a donation of €5,000 to any charity of President Sarkozy's
choice.
Last evening however, Ryanair received legal papers from President Sarkozy and
Ms Bruni under which President Sarkozy was seeking damages of €1, but Ms Bruni
was seeking damages of €500,000. Ryanair's lawyers will today tell the French
Courts that they are happy to settle President Sarkozy's claim for €1 and
Ryanair will renew its offer to make a charitable contribution of €5,000 to any
charity of President Sarkozy's choice. Ryanair has the utmost respect for
President Sarkozy and the high office which he holds.
Ryanair's lawyers will also make a similar offer to Ms Bruni, offering damages
of €1 and a contribution of €5,000 to any charity of Mr Bruni's choice. Ryanair
will not however agree to any totally unjustified payment of €500,000 to Ms
Bruni, who has engaged in an open, widely publicised and internationally
reported relationship with President Sarkozy. The advert used by Ryanair was
taken from one of the French newspapers and Ryanair notes that Ms Bruni did not
make any objection to any of the remaining thousands of photographs of her which
have appeared in over 55,000 newspapers and magazines in recent weeks.
Speaking today Ryanair's Peter Sherrard said:
'We apologised immediately and sincerely to both President Sarkozy and
Ms Bruni for this advert which ran in Le Parisien newspaper this week.
It was an honest attempt by Ryanair to reflect humorously and positively
on this very public and publicised relationship.
'However Ryanair has no intention of giving in to threats from Ms Bruni
or to her ludicrous claims and we will vigorously oppose any claim for
€500,000 from this lady who had engaged in one of the most open,
publicised and internationally reported relationships, in the world, in
recent weeks.
'We do however renew our sincere apologies to both President Sarkozy and
to Ms Bruni and believe that an appropriate payment to a charity of
their choice would be the best and most elegant way to resolve this
matter'.
Ends. Thursday, 31st January 2008
For further information
please contact:
Peter Sherrard Pauline McAlester
Ryanair Murray Consultants
Tel. +353-1-8121212 Tel. +353-1-4980300
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
Latest directors dealings
- 20 hours ago Savannah Energy
- 21 hours ago Buccaneer Energy PLC
- 21 hours ago Savannah Energy
- 21 hours ago Carclo
- 21 hours ago Schroder Japan Growth Fund