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Hackers Get Bank Accounts of Sarko's Dad, Ex-Wife

Investigators now believe thieves may have been politically motivated

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 31, 2008 3:01 PM CDT

(Newser) – The same hackers who stole small amounts of money from Nicolas Sarkozy’s bank account appear to have gotten into the accounts of his father and first wife as well, the Times of London reports. They didn't steal money but rather set up phony cell-phone accounts. Police initially thought the thieves found Sarko's account by accident, but now they're looking into a larger plot, possibly to dig up dirt on him and his family.

Six people have been arrested in the investigation, but authorities say they are only minor players in a scheme to make the French president “understand it was possible to get to his private life,” a French Internet site says. French pop culture is also interested in Sarko’s finances: a hugely popular YouTube clip parodies him as “Le King of Bling Bling.”

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy is reflected in a window that separates two offices as he visits a new jobs center in Rethel, eastern France, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. (AP Photo)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy delivers a speech to local authorities and bankers on state policies to tackle the economic crisis, at the Elysee palace, in Paris Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008. (AP Photo)

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A popular French youtube clip parodies Nicolas Sarkozy as "The King of Bling Bling." (FightBizkit)

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Hackers Get Bank Accounts of Sarko's Dad, Ex-Wife