Clearstream proceedings unbalanced

The trial against former prime minister Dominique de Villepin starts today, Monday, in France. One of the plaintiffs is President Nicolas Sarkozy. The question: did de Villepin wrongly have his rival Sarkozy placed on a list of recipients of illegal funds from the Clearstream Bank? The daily Le Monde comments: "As opposed to the other defendants, the President of the Republic may not be tried in a normal court of law. He is unassailable for the duration of his mandate. ... The reasons for this immunity are easy to understand. The President of the Republic is the guarantor of the continuity of the state. He benefits from the unction of universal suffrage, which prevents, out of respect for the popular sovereignty, his being exposed to political lawsuits. His inviolability is far reaching. ... The result is that in the judical arena the plaintiff Sarkozy is not fighting with equal weapons, and has a serious advantage. This constitutes a serious a miscarriage of justice."

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