Chirac trial

President from to , he was put on trial on charges that dated back to his time as mayor of Paris. He was accused of paying members of his Rally for the Republic RPR party for municipal jobs that did not exist.

The prosecution had urged the judge to acquit Mr Chirac and nine others accused in the trial. Two of the nine were cleared. The other seven were found guilty and all but one handed suspended prison sentences. Jean de Gaulle, grandson of former President Charles de Gaulle, was handed a three-month suspended term while former union leader Marc Blondel, 73, was convicted but escaped a sentence.

In , during his presidency, several figures including France's current Foreign Minister Alain Juppe were convicted in connection with the case. Jacques Chirac, mayor of Paris from to , is the first former French head of state to be convicted since Marshal Philippe Petain, the leader of the wartime Vichy regime, was found guilty in of collaborating with the Nazis.

The case was divided into two parts: the first count involved embezzlement and breach of trust in relation to 21 bogus jobs; the second related to a charge of illegal conflict of interest concerning seven jobs. After facing accusations for years, why is this coming to trial now? Chirac has faced accusations of misusing public money and kickbacks for years. Questions have surfaced regarding luxury family vacations, paid for in cash.

Investigators produced evidence that Chirac had spent over 2. He was also cited in a complex bribery scandal involving the award of lucrative housing contracts in Paris. Chirac has been able to avoid charges in the past due to the immunity he enjoyed as president, as well as what the Telegraph calls "the incredible lethargy of a seemingly pliant justice system.

Does Chirac need to be worried? While he faces up to 10 years in jail as well as a , euro fine, Chirac doesn't "seem to be in really hot water," Anne-Elisabeth Moutet at the Telegraph says :. The state prosecution office--which operates under the direct authority of the justice ministry--has already said it was pushing for a dismissal, "because there isn't enough proof.

Chirac is also the getting what could appear to be special treatment from the court: the former president has been granted permission to skip the first day of trial, and will have a special, more comfortable chair waiting for him when he does show up. Rumors have surfaced around the 78 year-old's declining health although his wife has firmly denied reports that he has Alzheimer's. Futhermore, Chirac currently enjoys a "Teflon-like" popularity in France, writes Moutet: "He is considered fondly by Right and Left alike.

The former regret his more consensual style. The latter give him credit for opposing the Iraq war from the start. Do other French politicians have anything to fear? While historically the French have been more tolerant of their politicians' lavish use of public funds, the worldwide recession and a shifting political sensiblitiy has changed that, according to the Telegraph.

Allegations against Chirac were first made during his time in office, between and However, the trial only went ahead in September after years of delays.

The criminal case was the first to involve a former French head of state since that of Nazi collaborator Marshall Philippe Petain in Dominique de Villepin, France's former prime minister, has been acquitted of trying to slander political foe Nicolas Sarkozy before the presidential election.

The result leaves Villepin free to run in Jacques Chirac's embezzlement trial, due to get underway Monday, has been delayed after failing health kept the former French president from appearing in court.

The trial will continue without him. The precedent-setting corruption and embezzlement trial of former French President Jacques Chirac has been suspended over constitutional questions. Chirac is accused of abusing his power as mayor of Paris in the s. Visit the new DW website Take a look at the beta version of dw.

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