Villepin cleared in Sarkozy smear case
Source: Agencies |
January 29, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FORMER French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin was cleared yesterday of being part of a conspiracy to smear Nicolas Sarkozy and sabotage his campaign to become president in 2007.
The verdict in the so-called "Clearstream case" represents a sharp blow to Sarkozy, who had made no secret of his enmity toward the aristocratic Villepin when the two served together in the government of ex-president Jacques Chirac.
Villepin, who became prime minister in 2005 after stints as foreign and interior minister, had been accused of using faked documents to link Sarkozy to a corruption probe as the two men angled to succeed the aging Chirac.
He always denied the charges and said repeatedly that he was a victim of a vendetta by Sarkozy, who won power triumphantly in the 2007 election while Villepin battled against the allegations of wrongdoing. The court found three of Villepin's co-defendants guilty.
The judge said Jean-Louis Gergorin, a former EADS executive with links to intelligence services, and Imad Lahoud, a computer specialist, were the main architects of the affair which dragged in some of the top names in French politics and business.
Main counts
Both were found guilty on the main counts of slanderous denunciation and use of false documents.
Florian Bourges, a former Arthur Andersen auditor who obtained the original documents, was found guilty of theft and breach of trust but the journalist Denis Robert, to whom he gave them and who later showed them to Lahoud, was cleared.
The verdict was a personal triumph for Villepin, who had been accused of being instrumental in a plot to damage Sarkozy by having the forgeries handed to magistrates investigating a bribe-ridden arms deal with Chinese Taipei in the 1990s.
The documents listed Sarkozy's name along with dozens of others from France's business and political elite, purportedly tying them to secret accounts held at Luxembourg-based securities clearing house Clearstream.
Villepin admitted during the investigation that he knew of the documents but the court found no evidence to prove that he knew they had been faked, which meant he could not be convicted.
The former prime minister could challenge Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential election.
The verdict in the so-called "Clearstream case" represents a sharp blow to Sarkozy, who had made no secret of his enmity toward the aristocratic Villepin when the two served together in the government of ex-president Jacques Chirac.
Villepin, who became prime minister in 2005 after stints as foreign and interior minister, had been accused of using faked documents to link Sarkozy to a corruption probe as the two men angled to succeed the aging Chirac.
He always denied the charges and said repeatedly that he was a victim of a vendetta by Sarkozy, who won power triumphantly in the 2007 election while Villepin battled against the allegations of wrongdoing. The court found three of Villepin's co-defendants guilty.
The judge said Jean-Louis Gergorin, a former EADS executive with links to intelligence services, and Imad Lahoud, a computer specialist, were the main architects of the affair which dragged in some of the top names in French politics and business.
Main counts
Both were found guilty on the main counts of slanderous denunciation and use of false documents.
Florian Bourges, a former Arthur Andersen auditor who obtained the original documents, was found guilty of theft and breach of trust but the journalist Denis Robert, to whom he gave them and who later showed them to Lahoud, was cleared.
The verdict was a personal triumph for Villepin, who had been accused of being instrumental in a plot to damage Sarkozy by having the forgeries handed to magistrates investigating a bribe-ridden arms deal with Chinese Taipei in the 1990s.
The documents listed Sarkozy's name along with dozens of others from France's business and political elite, purportedly tying them to secret accounts held at Luxembourg-based securities clearing house Clearstream.
Villepin admitted during the investigation that he knew of the documents but the court found no evidence to prove that he knew they had been faked, which meant he could not be convicted.
The former prime minister could challenge Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential election.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
