Paris: Jacques Chirac on Monday became the
first former French president to go on trial as a court heard
charges he embezzled public funds while he was mayor of Paris
in the 1990s.
The 78-year-old, one of France's most popular
political figures, was not present for the opening of the
trial that will examine whether he misused public money to pay
people working for his political party.
Chirac enjoyed immunity from prosecution as president
from 1995 to 2007, but the case, which has already seen
current Foreign Minister Alain Juppe convicted, has finally
caught up with him.
Chirac, who was Paris mayor from 1977 to 1995, was
scheduled to make his first appearance on Tuesday after a
first day given over to procedural matters.
The first day of hearings got under way with the judge
reading out the charges to a packed court in central Paris.
Proceedings were held up for several minutes as lawyers and
civil plaintiffs squabbled over seats.
In a bid to have the trial postponed even before
Chirac's appearance, a lawyer representing one of his
co-defendants asked the judge to refer a procedural matter to
France's constitutional court.
Chirac, best known internationally for his opposition
to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, has denied any knowledge
of corrupt payments and his lawyers accuse magistrates of
harbouring a hidden political agenda.
He has been linked to a series of corruption scandals
but never convicted. If found guilty, he faces up to 10 years
in jail and a fine of 150,000 euros ( USD 210,000) on charges
including embezzlement and breach of trust.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, March 07, 2011, 22:11