De Villepin says unaware of smear plot

PARIS, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Ex-French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin testified Wednesday that he was unaware of a 2004 plot to derail Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential hopes.

De Villepin, who was foreign affairs minister at the time, testified at his trial in Paris that he knew nothing of the so-called Clearstream affair before a Jan. 9, 2004, meeting at the Foreign Ministry and that Sarkozy's name "never came up," the French broadcaster France 24 reported. Sarkozy, now president, was interior minister in 2004.

Villepin and four colleagues allegedly attempted to link Sarkozy to an alleged list of account holders at a Luxembourg bank, Clearstream. The bank's accounts allegedly received millions of dollars in bribes connected to the sale of French frigates to Taiwan. The list, however, turned out to be a forgery.

"I have been steadfast in difficult moments. I have never been in possession of the Clearstream lists, and I was never informed of the fraudulent nature of the Clearstream lists," he testified.

Euronews reported de Villepin told reporters upon arriving at the court he was "happy today to be able to bring truth to this affair where lies and manipulation have obscured it."

Villepin, 55, who was prime minister from 2005 to 2007 and is a protege of former French President Jacques Chirac, faces a possible $70,000 fine and five-year jail term if convicted of "complicity in calumny, complicity in the use of forgeries, dealing in stolen property and breach of trust."