Posted on 07/10/2007 8:38:59 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
PARIS - Investigating judges plan to file preliminary charges against former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin over a smear scandal targeting Nicolas Sarkozy before he became the French president, Villepin's office said Tuesday.
The case stems from an attempt in 2003-2004 to use false accusations of secret bank accounts to taint Sarkozy, who was a government minister at the time and a political rival of Villepin within the conservative camp. Sarkozy and other prominent figures were falsely accused of having secret bank accounts in the Luxembourg clearing house Clearstream, purportedly created to hold bribes from a 1991 sale of frigates to Taiwan.
Villepin has been summoned for questioning later this month by investigating judges "who expect to file preliminary charges against him," his office said in a statement.
Villepin again denied wrongdoing in the Clearstream scandal, which shook up former President Jacques Chirac's administration last year. He said in the statement his actions were "strictly in the framework" of his jobs as foreign minister and interior minister at the time.
Investigators searched Villepin's home and office last week in the probe after the discovery of his name in computer files belonging to a Defense Ministry official, Gen. Philippe Rondot, who Villepin had ordered to investigate the affair. He wrote in his notes that two key players told him they acted on orders from Villepin.
Under French law, a minister or former minister can only be investigated and judged by the special Court of Justice. Among issues to be determined is whether Villepin would have acted in his capacity as a minister — as he contends. If preliminary charges are filed against him, he could, therefore, contest them.
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 case, citing judicial immunity granted for acts during his presidential tenure.
Under French law, preliminary charges mean that the investigating judge has determined there is strong evidence to suggest involvement in a crime. The filing gives the magistrate time to pursue a deeper probe while the suspects await either a trial or release if no crime is found.
Villepin's lawyer Olivier d'Antin said the questioning was set for July 27.
FRENCH ELECTION UPDATE :: Dominique de Villepin likely to face conspiracy charges
The Times UK ^ | July 6, 2007 | Charles Bremner
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Posted on 07/06/2007 1:13:08 AM PDT by Cincinna
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