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Ex-French Prime Minister Villepin Charged in Smear Campaign
Friday, July 27, 2007
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.
Villepin, once a rising star in France's conservative circles of power,
denied wrongdoing in the case, which shook the government of former
President Jacques Chirac.
"At no moment did I take part in any political maneuvering," he said after
appearing before the judges.
The scandal began when a judge received a mysterious CD-ROM accusing Sarkozy
and other top ministers of holding secret accounts in Luxembourg bank
Clearstream. But investigators realized the scheme was a hoax and turned
their attention to uncovering the culprits.
Villepin told the judges he need time to study the extensive case files, his
attorneys said.
"He has never had access to the dossier before," said lawyer Olivier
d'Antin. "He informed the judge that he was ready to respond to questions
once he had knowledge of the dossier."
Villepin has said he acted "strictly in the framework" of his jobs as
foreign minister and interior minister at the time of the scandal.
Earlier this year, investigators searched his home and office after the
discovery of his name in computer files belonging to a Defense Ministry
official, Gen. Philippe Rondot. Rondot wrote in his notes that two key
players in the affair told him they acted on orders from Villepin.
Other prominent figures have been questioned in the case, including former
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Interior Minister Michele
Alliot-Marie, defense minister at the time. Chirac has refused to be
questioned in the affair, citing judicial immunity granted for acts during
his presidential tenure.
Ex-French Prime Minister Villepin Charged in Smear Campaign
Friday, July 27, 2007
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.
Villepin, once a rising star in France's conservative circles of power,
denied wrongdoing in the case, which shook the government of former
President Jacques Chirac.
"At no moment did I take part in any political maneuvering," he said after
appearing before the judges.
The scandal began when a judge received a mysterious CD-ROM accusing Sarkozy
and other top ministers of holding secret accounts in Luxembourg bank
Clearstream. But investigators realized the scheme was a hoax and turned
their attention to uncovering the culprits.
Villepin told the judges he need time to study the extensive case files, his
attorneys said.
"He has never had access to the dossier before," said lawyer Olivier
d'Antin. "He informed the judge that he was ready to respond to questions
once he had knowledge of the dossier."
Villepin has said he acted "strictly in the framework" of his jobs as
foreign minister and interior minister at the time of the scandal.
Earlier this year, investigators searched his home and office after the
discovery of his name in computer files belonging to a Defense Ministry
official, Gen. Philippe Rondot. Rondot wrote in his notes that two key
players in the affair told him they acted on orders from Villepin.
Other prominent figures have been questioned in the case, including former
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Interior Minister Michele
Alliot-Marie, defense minister at the time. Chirac has refused to be
questioned in the affair, citing judicial immunity granted for acts during
his presidential tenure.
