Ex-French prime minister stands trial

PARIS, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin says he played no role in a political smear campaign against then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.

Villepin, 55, went on trial Monday in Paris on charges of participating in a bungled attempt to smear Sarkozy and a roster of business leaders as he and the future French president struggled for power in 2004, The Times of London reported.

Villepin, a protege of former French President Jacques Chirac, is facing a possible $70,000 fine and five-year jail term on charges of "complicity in calumny, complicity in the use of forgeries, dealing in stolen property and breach of trust," but would likely face a suspended sentence even if he were convicted on all the counts, the newspaper said.

The main allegation is that Villepin and four colleagues attempted to link Sarkozy to an alleged list of account holders at a Luxembourg bank -- accounts said to have received millions of dollars in bribes connected to the sale of French frigates to Taiwan. The list, however, turned out to be a forgery, The Times said.

Villepin denies any wrongdoing, but two other people accused in the smear campaign contend that the conspiracy was planned with his knowledge.