Villepin in the clear over Sarkozy smear
Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin, below, has been cleared of being involved in a smear campaign against President Nicolas Sarkozy when he stood for election.
Mr De Villepin, once one of the president’s biggest rivals, had been accused of slander in using faked documents to link Mr Sarkozy to a corruption probe.
His acquittal in Paris yesterday paves the way for Mr de Villepin to try to return to the world of politics, including a possible run for the presidency in 2012.