DOMINIQUE de VILLEPIN :: Ex-Premier of France Under Formal Investigation

The New York Times ^ | July 27 2007 | MAIA DEMAIA DE LA BAUME LA BAUME

[Cincinna]

The former prime minister of France, Dominique de Villepin, was placed under formal investigation on Friday in an inquiry into whether he was involved in a campaign to smear Nicolas Sarkozy before Mr. Sarkozy won the presidency.

A lawyer for Mr. de Villepin, Luc Brossollet, said Friday that Mr. de Villepin was being investigated for “complicity to make false accusations” after the former prime minister appeared before two judges assigned to the case, Agence France-Presse reported.

The scandal involved false documentation that seemed to show large sums of money, presumably bribes, passing through secret bank accounts held by Mr. Sarkozy and others. Mr. Sarkozy said at the time that the scandal had been orchestrated to ruin his chances for the presidency.

Mr. Sarkozy was Mr. de Villepin’s chief political rival at the time the accusations were made.

[Cincinna]

Ex Weasel-in-Chief faces the music. Out on $250,000 bail.

[Cincinna]

VILLEPIN, THE SILVER HAIRED FRENCH WEASEL STABS US IN THE BACK AT THE UN

[Aria]

Who is the author??? LOL

I like Sarkozy so far!

[J Aguilar]

If Chirac and Villepin did that to their own colleague in the government, Sarkozy, what might have been prepared for the Spanish prime minister Aznar, their adversary in the European Constitution approval and in many other issues, taking into account that ETA is based in Southern France?

[M. Espinola]

The Weasel thought he had the election in the bag as he slandered and lied about Mr. Sarkozy. Now he is getting bagged for the deceitful, snobbish crook he really is.

Maybe his bail money was derived from kick back money from Saddam's oil-for-food era?

[mkjessup]

Neuter the yappy little french poodle.

[Timeout]

Still cracks me up...almost 5 yrs later:

[Philistone]

Couldn’t be happening to a nicer guy.

Waiting for the Chirac indictments to come down!

[Suzy Quzy]

Isn’t this what Spitzer is being investigated for also?? SMEARING.

[randita]

Seems the “holier than thous” are actually not so holy after all.

[Calvin Locke]

They saw how the “free press” in the US let Clinton get away with murder, and since the French gov’t controls the press there, it should have been a slam-dunk.

[Timeout]

I thought exactly the same thing when I first read the Spitzer stories: “reminds me of DeVillepin”. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out it has to do with their all using the same U.S. political consultants

[gridlock]

The French are cleaning house! Way to go!

[ModelBreaker]

So, is Dan Rather next?

[Suzy Quzy]

Are they both using CarVILE and BUGala?

[bruinbirdman]

"Are they both using CarVILE and BUGala?"

"In 2004, when Mr. Sarkozy was a cabinet member, hoping to succeed the longtime president, Jacques Chirac, investigators received a CD-ROM containing the names of supposed beneficiaries of kickbacks paid in the sale of French frigates to Taiwan in 1991. The list included secret bank accounts at Clearstream, a financial clearinghouse based in Luxembourg that had earlier been the subject of corruption charges.

Investigators determined that the information on the CD-ROM was false. Mr. Sarkozy is not under investigation. "

yitbos

[Suzy Quzy]

What is yitbos?

[SunkenCiv]

The thing I like best about formal investigation are the tailored suits.

Villepin should be getting fitted for a prison jumpsuit about now.

Maybe he and Chirac can be cellmates.