Prosecutor recommends fine for former French prime minister in slander trial
By APTuesday, October 20, 2009
French prosecutor: Ex-PM should get slander fine
PARIS — A prosecutor has recommended an 18-month suspended sentence and a fine of €45,000 ($67,370) for former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin in a slander trial that has rocked the country’s political establishment.
The court has not yet set a date for a verdict. It has been probing who was behind an alleged smear campaign to discredit President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2004, while he was still a government minister.
Sarkozy says the smear campaign was intended to thwart his presidential bid. He filed suit saying he believed Villepin was “the primary instigator” behind it.
Villepin, also a government minister at the time, has denied orchestrating any plot. The prosecutor also recommended sentences for several other defendants Tuesday.
