Ex-PM in slander trial hits out at Sarkozy

FORMER prime minister Dominique de Villepin lashed out at French president Nicolas Sarkozy at the start of a slander trial involving alleged dirty tricks by top politicians and businessmen.

“I am here because of the determination of one man; Nicolas Sarkozy,” Villepin said before taking his place on the defendants’ bench. He suggested Sarkozy was using the trial in France’s so-called “Clearstream affair” as a political weapon.

Sarkozy claims Villepin was behind a smear campaign aimed at thwarting Sarkozy’s bid for the 2007 presidential election. Sarkozy is one of 40 plaintiffs in the trial, which also will delve into old international arms deals, offshore bank accounts and the French aviation and defence industries.