Chirac conviction

A Parisian court has found former French President Jacques Chirac guilty of all charges in a long-running corruption case.

The 79-year-old was convicted of breach of trust, embezzlement, and an abuse of influence when he was mayor of Paris in the early 1990s and received a two-year suspended sentence.

"Jacques Chirac breached the duty of trust that weighs on public officials charged with caring for public funds or property, in contempt of the general interest of Parisians," the ruling said.

It was alleged that, during his time as mayor, Chirac had paid 28 people from his center-right party, Rally for the Republic, for municipal jobs that did not exist.

Chirac was unable to attend the trial, his doctors claiming he has "severe and irreversible" neurological problems.

The former French president issued a statement just hours after the verdict saying that he wished to "categorically reject" the decision. He would not, however, launch an appeal on the grounds he no longer had the "strength necessary to lead the combat for the truth before new judges."

'Inventor of a conspiracy'

According to the charge sheet, Chirac had been the "inventor, author and beneficiary" of a conspiracy to use public money to "support his political influence."

The document alleged that he had served both his own interests and those of his party, a forerunner to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Union for a Popular Movement.

French anti-corruption group Anticor expressed satisfaction at the conviction, calling it "proof of a mature, transparent democracy."

"I think it's a historic decision and extremely important for the future of French democracy," said Jerome Karsenti, a lawyer for the group.

Lengthy legal case

The verdict marks the end of a long process. France's current foreign minister, Alain Juppe, was convicted in the same case in 2004 and given a 14-month suspended sentence.

Nine alleged accomplices were also tried as part of the latest proceedings. Two were cleared, but the rest were convicted.

Allegations against Chirac were first made during his time in office, between 1996 and 2007. However, the trial only went ahead in September after years of delays.

The criminal case was the first to involve a former French head of state since that of Nazi collaborator Marshall Philippe Petain in 1945.

Author: Richard Connor, Charlotte Chelsom-Pill (AFP, AP, Reuters)
Editor: Michael Lawton