Ex-French PM to stand trial

Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has been ordered to stand trial for his role in an alleged plot to smear Nicolas Sarkozy, now president, when they were rival ministers.

Villepin has consistently denied wrongdoing in the case, dubbed the "Clearstream Affair", in which he has been accused of trying to torpedo Sarkozy's reputation with faked documents before the 2007 presidential election which Sarkozy won.

"Nothing justifies this decision to go to trial," Villepin said in a statement late on Tuesday after a source close to the case said he had been charged with "complicity in libel".