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Ex-French PM [Villepin] charged in smear campaign
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| Contributor | Monsieur |
| Last Edited | Monsieur Jul 27, 2007 01:24pm |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Friday, July 27, 2007 07:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | PARIS -- Judges filed preliminary charges Friday against former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin for his suspected role in a smear campaign that targeted Nicolas Sarkozy before he became France's president, an attorney said.
Villepin was charged with "complicity in slanderous denunciations" after being questioned by investigative judges, said Luc Brossollet, a lawyer for the former prime minister.
The case stems from an attempt three years ago to discredit Sarkozy, who was a government minister at the time and a political rival of Villepin within their conservative UMP party. Sarkozy and other prominent figures were falsely accused of having secret bank accounts to hold bribes from a 1991 sale of frigates to Taiwan.
Under French law, preliminary charges mean there is strong evidence to suggest involvement in a crime. The filing gives the magistrate time to pursue a deeper probe that could lead a trial. |
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