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Ex-French PM Dominique de Villepin cleared of Nicolas Sarkozy smear
28 Jan 2010Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin was cleared in a Paris court today of smearing president Nicolas Sarkozy.
In 2004, Mr Sarkozy, then interior minister, appeared on a list of names wrongly linked to an illegal bank account. Mr de Villepin was accused of failing to halt a corruption inquiry despite knowing the claims were false.
The 56-year-old, known for his 2003 UN speech urging the US not to invade Iraq, was once one of Mr Sarkozy's biggest rivals but the trial tarnished his career. He could try to make a return and run for the presidency in 2012.
Mr de Villepin said today that he had "no hard feelings," though acknowledged the trial had hurt him.
