The first ex-head of state to face prosecution since the Second World War was given a 2-year suspended prison sentence in corruption trial

But Mr Chirac, who is 79 years old, did not take part in the trial after doctors determined that he suffers severe memory lapses.

The court said Thursday it had found Mr Chirac guilty in two related cases involving fake jobs created at the party he led during his 1977-1995 tenure as Paris mayor. Mr Chirac has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

It said the former president diverted city money to benefit his political party and reward supporters, the court ruled today.

In theory, Mr Chirac could have been sent to jail for 10 years, the maximum sentence for the charges against him.

Mr Chirac, who served as mayor of Paris from 1977 until 1995 except for a two-year period when he was prime minister, is the first French head of state to stand trial since World War II. The corruption investigation was delayed until after he stepped down as president in 2007 by rules shielding sitting leaders from investigations for anything short of high treason.

"As mayor, Jacques Chirac was responsible for the city budget," Judge Dominique Pauthe said in his verdict.

The 79-year-old former politician did not attend the trial after Pauthe agreed with his lawyers that he was not medically fit to testify.

Chirac denied breaking any laws, with his defenders arguing all job contracts were for real work for the city.

The City of Paris dropped its claim after reaching a settlement in which the former president and the Union for a Popular Movement, successor to Chirac's party, paid 2.2 million euros ($3 million) to the city without admitting any guilt in the deal.

Mr Chirac became the first former French head of state to be convicted since Marshal Philippe Petain, the leader of the World War II Vichy regime, who was found guilty in 1945 of collaborating with the Nazis.

Despite prosecutors calling for an acquittal, the trial of Chirac and nine co-defendants began in March at the Premier Chambre of the Paris Correctional Court, after 11 years of legal argument.

"His guilt results from long-standing and reiterated practices of illegal party financing,' said the judgement handed down in court this morning.

Chirac had been immune from prosecution while he was president from 1995 to 2007, despite persistent rumours of wrong-doing.

He was accused of paying members of his Rally for the Republic (RPR) party for municipal jobs that did not exist.

In 2004, during his presidency, political allies including France’s current Foreign Minister Alain Juppe were convicted in connection with the case. Mr Juppe was given a 14-month suspended sentence.

When he was Paris mayor, the number of staff Chirac employed rocketed, with many of the new names which appeared on the public payroll coming from the south-western province of the Correze, his political heartland.

The chief allegation against Chirac was that the salaries of many of these entirely fictitious employees were diverted into party funds.

By the time revelations about what was going on began to leak out in the late 1990s, Mr Chirac was president meaning he was granted immunity on the ground that to testify on such matters would be incompatible with his official duties.

. . . . . Imagine! A corrupt politician.....the m-f should be beheaded!! Would be a deterrent to other politicians if only they weren't being protected by others doing the same damn thing.

As if we didn't know all along. Think Oil-for-Food as well. Both Chirac and Putin along with their political cronies from both countries were up to their eyeballs in it.

The guillotine would be to quick for him. Let him suffer by making him live with RogerPippen in amongst the cat turds and stale urine for the term of his natural life.

anyone like 2 bet he will be '2 ill' for sentence - he wont end up paying a fucking penny/cent if they fine him

Dewi_Sant wrote:

anyone like 2 bet he will be '2 ill' for sentence - he wont end up paying a fucking penny/cent if they fine him

You're such a dimwit: read the article, you old fool!

Dewi_Sant wrote:

anyone like 2 bet he will be '2 ill' for sentence - he wont end up paying a fucking penny/cent if they fine him

He's been sentenced to a 2-year suspended prison (i.e nothing he'll be "2 ill" to sustain).

On another hand, he already paid a few million euros 2 the city of Paris 2 avoid that trial.

Try to stay focused and used proper english, old chap.

Mr Chirac became the first former French head of state to be convicted since Marshal Philippe Petain, the leader of the World War II Vichy regime, who was found guilty in 1945 of collaborating with the Nazis.

How dare they compare President Chiraq to Petain? Outrageous disrespect for a great man!

at least the French are able to judge their former corrupt leaders

Will the Americans ever put Bush on trial for starting a war with knowingly false accusations or will they, as usual, just give his name to an aircraft carrier ?

Forza_Padania wrote:



Will the Americans ever put Bush on trial for starting a war with knowingly making false accusations?

God will do it.

Forza_Padania wrote:

at least the French are able to judge their former corrupt leaders

Will the Americans ever put Bush on trial for starting a war with knowingly making false accusations?

Yeah, and hand down suspended sentences. Wow, that's justice.

Forza_Padania wrote:

at least the French are able to judge their former corrupt leaders

Will the Americans ever put Bush on trial for starting a war with knowingly making false accusations?

In the meantime, the French attack Libya for oil contracts and to jump start sales for the Refail.

the self-hating cajun whale wrote:

No need for untalented photoshop, crétin du bayou, you can find any pictures of bowing presidents in any press agency site :

We all knew that chIRAQ was a arab cock loving, backstabbing, capitulating, arrogant criminal, now the surrendering frogs have to wake up to this fact.

FUCK france!

le Worm,
Le Shitraq

Saddam's "dearest friend", backstabbing buffoon and clown

absolutely deserved all kind of punishment

but as everybody knows France is corrupt to the core, so they of course just fake punishing the most froggy asshole of them all

Fuck Shirac!

and Fuck France!

"but as everybody knows France is corrupt to the core"


And if you read the international classification of corruption ?

You would see that France is slightly more corrupted than UK but less than Usa.

Thanks for reading. You will die less idiot.

simple,

have you ever believed he was innocent?

did you REALLY believe he would go to jail?

He is not innocent. He cheated no doubt.

But it was little cheating.The sentence is 2 years. But no prison this time.

Are you Polish martsy i don't remember?

He should have been hanged beside Saddam Hussein for treason against Western Civilization

Standing ovation for French courts...now bring back the guillotine for just one chop!

yeh, born in Warsaw I live in Copenhagen

martsy wrote:

yeh, born in Warsaw I live in Copenhagen

Je te tire mon chapeau si tu parles polonais, danois et anglais et si tu comprends ce message.


But you're still an idiot.

Forza_Padania wrote:

at least the French are able to judge their former corrupt leaders

Will the Americans ever put Bush on trial for starting a war with knowingly false accusations or will they, as usual, just give his name to an aircraft carrier ?

Idiot frog, unlike in france where ONE person, now a convicted criminal, decided to protect a mad dictator for bribes, our congress and senate VOTED FOR THE USE OF FORCE TO REMOVE SADDAM.

So despite your OPINION that laws were broken, those who make the laws approved of removing Saddam. They voted this way under BILL CLINTON, long before Bush even considered a run for president you imbecile.

Get over it you degenerate eurotard, you guys backed a mad dictator for your cut of the Food for Oil money and you were once again proven to be the scum of the Earth.

Chiraq a convicted criminal, france proven wrong once again, and America now misses the guy you call a criminal.

You Chiraqies are degenerate to the core but always amusing.

yawn, 2003 called and wanted it's news back.