PARIS (Hollywood Taday /AFP) 9/22/09 –
France’s most politically-charged trial in years is to begin on Monday with former prime minister Dominique de Villepin accused of plotting to smear Nicolas Sarkozy before he became president. Dubbed the trial of the decade, the judicial drama features a Who’s Who cast of big names in politics, industry and intelligence circles, beginning with Sarkozy, who is a civil plaintiff in the case.