Villepin cleared of slander

FORMER French prime minister Dominique de Villepin has been acquitted by an appeals court of charges that he took part in a murky smear campaign against his arch-rival, President Nicolas Sarkozy.

A lower court acquitted Mr Villepin of charges of complicity in slander over the so-called Clearstream affair last year, but the prosecution appealed and was seeking a 15-month suspended sentence against the former premier.