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Villepin cleared of Sarkozy smear Villepin cleared of Sarkozy smear
(10 minutes later)
Former French PM Dominique de Villepin has been cleared of plotting to discredit the then interior minister and now President, Nicolas Sarkozy.Former French PM Dominique de Villepin has been cleared of plotting to discredit the then interior minister and now President, Nicolas Sarkozy.
He had been accused of failing to stop the Clearstream corruption inquiry into Mr Sarkozy, knowing the accusations against his rival to be false. He had been accused of failing to stop the Clearstream corruption inquiry into Mr Sarkozy, despite knowing the claims against his rival were false.
Both men had been hoping to succeed Jacques Chirac as president in the 2007 presidential election. Both men had been hoping to succeed Jacques Chirac as president in the 2007 election.
Several other defendants in the case were found guilty on various charges.Several other defendants in the case were found guilty on various charges.
The judge in the case said there was no proof Mr de Villepin had acted in bad faith.The judge in the case said there was no proof Mr de Villepin had acted in bad faith.
The charges, which Mr de Villepin denied, date back to a judicial investigation in 2004. The former prime minister is now likely to relaunch his political career and to challenge President Sarkozy in the next general election in 2012, says the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby in Paris.
Prosecutors had called for him to receive an 18-month suspended sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros (£39,000). Complex investigation
Mr Sarkozy had appeared on a list of names wrongly linked to an illegal bank account and an arms sales bribery investigation. In 2004, Mr Sarkozy's name appeared on a list of top politicians and businessmen who were wrongly linked to an illegal bank account in Luxembourg.
It was alleged those named on the list had received bribes from international arms sales.
The list was sent to people including Mr de Villepin, who was accused of failing to stop the conspiracy.
During the trial, prosecutors had called for him to receive an 18-month suspended sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros (£39,000).
Three other defendants were convicted, including a former executive Jean-Louis Gergorin who admitted to leaking the fake list to investigators, and Imad Lahoud, a computer specialist, who confessed to adding Mr Sarkozy's name to the list.