Court postpones Chirac trial
Source: Agencies |
March 9, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
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THE trial of former French President Jacques Chirac over misuse of public funds was postponed by a court yesterday while it sought advice on a constitutional challenge that will hold the case up for months.
The 78-year-old who ruled France for 12 years is accused of channeling public money into phantom jobs for political cronies while he was mayor of Paris between 1977 and 1995.
The court set a date of June 20 for the trial to reopen if it gets clearance from the country's Constitutional Council, which has been asked whether some of the alleged offenses are too old to go to court.
Chirac would have been summoned to the courtroom today had yesterday's decision confirmed the trial should proceed despite a challenge from lawyers of a co-defendant, who argued much of the case was invalid under the French statute of limitations.
The long-awaited trial of Chirac and nine other defendants would be the first trial of a former French head of state since 1945.
Chirac, who remains popular, stands accused of embezzling public money to fund his political party during his time as mayor of Paris before he became president.
He enjoyed immunity from prosecution during his two terms as president ending in 2007. The case has come to trial after 11 years of legal wrangling over allegations that 28 political cronies were on the city's payroll even though they did not work for the city.
The 78-year-old who ruled France for 12 years is accused of channeling public money into phantom jobs for political cronies while he was mayor of Paris between 1977 and 1995.
The court set a date of June 20 for the trial to reopen if it gets clearance from the country's Constitutional Council, which has been asked whether some of the alleged offenses are too old to go to court.
Chirac would have been summoned to the courtroom today had yesterday's decision confirmed the trial should proceed despite a challenge from lawyers of a co-defendant, who argued much of the case was invalid under the French statute of limitations.
The long-awaited trial of Chirac and nine other defendants would be the first trial of a former French head of state since 1945.
Chirac, who remains popular, stands accused of embezzling public money to fund his political party during his time as mayor of Paris before he became president.
He enjoyed immunity from prosecution during his two terms as president ending in 2007. The case has come to trial after 11 years of legal wrangling over allegations that 28 political cronies were on the city's payroll even though they did not work for the city.
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