Former French leader, Jacques Chirac is convicted of corruption
Former French Leader Jacques Chirac
Former French leader, Jacques Chirac has been found guilty of corruption while in office.
A French Court committed the former leader to a two-year suspended prison sentence for diverting public funds and abusing public trust and confidence.
The former leader has been accused of breach of trust and embezzlement of party funds during his time as Paris mayor, a position he held from 1977 to 1995.
His position then allegedly created scores of fake jobs to channel thousands of pounds worth of bogus salaries into his party’s accounts.
He admitted the scam took place but insists he did not know at the time such corruption took place.
Mr Chirac, 79, was not in court to hear the verdict because of ill-health.
He was French president from 1995 to 2007, and had been put on trial on those charges even though they had dated back to a time of serving in lower capacity as mayor of Paris.
Chirac 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. In 2004, during his presidency, several figures including France’s current Foreign Minister Alain Juppe were convicted in connection with the case.
Mr Juppe was given a 14-month suspended sentence.
Jacques Chirac, 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 1945 of collaborating with the Nazis.
Mr Chirac, has not been present during the trial because of ill health and the law had stipulated up to 10 years in jail and a fine of 150,000 euros (£130,000).
He denies the charges and prosecutors have asked for the case against him to be dropped.
His trial and nine co-defendants began last March after 11 years of legal wrangling.
The 79-year-old was immune from prosecution while he was president from 1995 to 2007, despite persistent rumours of wrongdoing and is the first French former leader to stand trial since World War II.
But in September, prosecutors Michel Maes told the trial it had not been proven that Mr Chirac had known about “individual situations”.
“I seek acquittal for all the accused on all charges,” Mr Maes said.
A lawyer for Mr Chirac, who is reported to suffer from memory lapses, had said earlier that the former leader was in high spirit awaiting the verdict “calmly”.
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