President Nicolas Sarkozy, a civil plaintiff in the so-called Clearstream case, said Thursday that he accepted the court's verdict and wouldn't appeal it.

The verdict cleared his political rival, former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin in the slander trial.

A Paris court acquitted Villepin of all charges in an alleged smear campaign against Sarkozy, saying there was not enough evidence to decide he had acted in bad faith.

Sarkozy said in a statement that he was satisfied with the ruling because it acknowleged "serious manipulation" in the case.

"The court says the role of Mr. Dominique de Villepin in the manipulation can't be proved. I acknowledge it and notice certain severity of the grounds for the decision," Sarkozy said. He said that he wouldn't "appeal the decision."

The Clearstream case, dated back to an investigation of a falsified blacklist in 2004, involves many prominent figures suspected to have taken bribes from arms sales.

Sarkozy, interior minister at the time, was on the list while Villepin, then prime minister, ordered a secret inquiry into the case.

As the blacklist was found falsified later, a slander plot emerged.

Sarkozy and Villepin, archrivals runing for presidency in 2004, became two leading figures of the trial.

After being cleared from all four charges including complicity to slander, to use forgeries, dealing in stolen property and breach of trust, Villepin gained the chance for a political comeback, according to local analysts.