A French judge ordered former President Jacques Chirac to stand trial on embezzlement charges predating his presidency — a case that could mark the first time a former leader of modern France is forced to defend himself in court.A prosecutor can still appeal the judge's decision to try Chirac for embezzlement and breach of trust in a corruption case dating back to his tenure as mayor of Paris, and if so, the ensuing judicial deliberations could last months.Still, the judge's bold pursuit of Chirac, who lost his presidential immunity when his 12-year presidency ended in 2007, stunned many observers. Judges chased Chirac unsuccessfully in various corruption scandals for years, and prosecutors had requested that this particular case be dropped.Many French politicians fretted openly Friday about how the case would affect France's reputation abroad. It's just one of several current scandals alleging dirty dealings in the conservative political establishment that Chirac headed for years.One of Chirac's former prime ministers, Dominique de Villepin, is on trial, accused of orchestrating a smear campaign against Chirac's successor, Nicolas Sarkozy. Villepin denies the charges.Judges like Simeoni have extraordinary powers — they not only investigate suspects but also decide whether to charge and put them on trial — but the government is preparing to cut their functions drastically. Magistrates' unions and legal scholars questioned whether it would have been possible to take the Chirac case this far without the existing system.The nine others also sent to trial with Chirac include Michel Roussin, a chief of staff to Chirac at city hall, accused of complicity in breach of trust, the official said. Among those ordered to stand trial on suspicion of having benefited from the phony jobs scheme is Jean de Gaulle, a grandson of former President Charles de Gaulle.Since the Fifth Republic was founded in 1958, no former French president has appeared in court.Marshal Philippe Petain, who headed the 1940-1944 collaborationist Vichy regime, was found guilty of treason and imprisoned on an island off the Atlantic coast until his death in 1951.
A French judge ordered former President Jacques Chirac to stand trial on embezzlement charges predating his presidency — a case that could mark the first time a former leader of modern France is forced to defend himself in court.A prosecutor can still appeal the judge's decision to try Chirac for embezzlement and breach of trust in a corruption case dating back to his tenure as mayor of Paris, and if so, the ensuing judicial deliberations could last months.Still, the judge's bold pursuit of Chirac, who lost his presidential immunity when his 12-year presidency ended in 2007, stunned many observers. Judges chased Chirac unsuccessfully in various corruption scandals for years, and prosecutors had requested that this particular case be dropped.Many French politicians fretted openly Friday about how the case would affect France's reputation abroad. It's just one of several current scandals alleging dirty dealings in the conservative political establishment that Chirac headed for years.One of Chirac's former prime ministers, Dominique de Villepin, is on trial, accused of orchestrating a smear campaign against Chirac's successor, Nicolas Sarkozy. Villepin denies the charges.Judges like Simeoni have extraordinary powers — they not only investigate suspects but also decide whether to charge and put them on trial — but the government is preparing to cut their functions drastically. Magistrates' unions and legal scholars questioned whether it would have been possible to take the Chirac case this far without the existing system.The nine others also sent to trial with Chirac include Michel Roussin, a chief of staff to Chirac at city hall, accused of complicity in breach of trust, the official said. Among those ordered to stand trial on suspicion of having benefited from the phony jobs scheme is Jean de Gaulle, a grandson of former President Charles de Gaulle.Since the Fifth Republic was founded in 1958, no former French president has appeared in court.Marshal Philippe Petain, who headed the 1940-1944 collaborationist Vichy regime, was found guilty of treason and imprisoned on an island off the Atlantic coast until his death in 1951.
