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French ex-PM Villepin in plot to smear Sarkozy, says businessmen

Ziad Takieddine, who is under investigation in connection with arms sales to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, on Thursday accused French former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin of trying smear his old enemy, President Nicolas Sarkozy.

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“This plot, it is against the President …I point the finger at the person who has to account for his actions in all this, from 1996 until today - his name is Dominique de Villepin” Takieddine told French radio station Europe 1.

The Franco-Lebanese businessman maintains he has proof that Villepin is behind a plot to discredit Sarkozy, which he will make available to investigators.

Villepin’s lawyer, Olivier d’Antin issued a response claiming that Takieddine was trying to divert attention from himself.

Takieddine, who reportedly worked as a middleman on arms contracts during the 1990s, has been interviewed by police over accusations that kickbacks from the contracts were used to fund Edouard Balladur’s failed 1995 presidential campaign.

Two of Sarkozy’s close aides have also been named in the so-called Karachi affair. One is accused of accompanying Takiddine to Switzerland to collect cases stuffed with banknotes, the other allegedly received them.

Sarkozy himself was campaign spokesman for Edouard Balladur and budget minister at the time. He says he was not involved in arrangements for funding the campaign and is on record as having opposed the Karachi arms deal.

Takieddine denies involvement in any kickback arrangements.

In mid-September De Villepin was cleared in court of allegations that he tried to orchestrate a smear campaign against Sarkozy in the what was known as the Clearstream affair.

Villepin himself is under investigation in a separate case involving Robert Bourgi, who was known as “Monsieur Afrique”, during the Jacques Chirac's presidency.

Bourgi recently claimed that he gave various African leaders cases full of cash, which was secretly used to finance their political campaigns.
 

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