Chirac ordered to stand trial in France
Last Updated: Friday, October 30, 2009 | 8:56 AM ET
CBC News
Former French president Jacques Chirac has been ordered to stand trial in an alleged corruption scandal dating back to his 1977-95 tenure as Paris mayor. (Francois Mori/Associated Press)Former French president Jacques Chirac will stand trial for an alleged corruption scandal from his years as Paris mayor.
Investigative magistrate Xaviere Simeoni has ordered Chirac, 76, to stand trial on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust, a judicial official said Friday.
The allegations of corruption and nepotism date back to Chirac's tenure as mayor from 1977-95.
Chirac has been investigated for allegations that 35 contracts paid for by Paris City Hall were awarded to friends and associates for jobs that did not exist. Simeoni concluded that 21 of the 35 were for non-existent jobs.
Simeoni said Friday the breach of trust charges dated back to the period before 1994, while the embezzlement charges dated from March 1994 to May 1995 — when he was sworn in as chief of state.
Chirac said he is "serene and determined to prove in court that none of the jobs still being debated were fake."
Presidential immunity ended
Chirac's former prime minister, Alain Juppe, was convicted of party financing irregularities in 2004. But Chirac long used his presidential immunity to keep investigators at arm's length.
After Chirac left the presidency and no longer had immunity, a judge filed preliminary embezzlement charges against him in 2007.
A prosecutor can still appeal the decision to send the former president to court.
The prosecutor's office had requested that the case against Chirac be dropped. That request said investigations turned up no proof of wilful wrongdoing, and also said that the statute of limitations had expired on many of the events in question.
Since the Fifth Republic was founded in 1958, no former French president has appeared in court.
If convicted, Chirac could face a sentence of up to 10 years, a $221,800 fine and disqualification from public office.
With files from The Associated PressShare Tools
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