Chirac corruption trial in new delay
Lawyers warn of justice at “different speeds” as judge asks for ruling on whether trial breaks statute of limitations
FORMER president Jacques Chirac’s corruption trial has been delayed for a further three months after a co-defendant lodged an appeal saying the case had taken so long to bring to court it broke the statute of limitations.
Mr Chirac, 78, had used presidential immunity to avoid facing charges for diverting public funds while mayor of Paris between 1977 and 1995 to employ 21 staff on the city payroll while they worked for his RPR political party. He was president from 1995 to 2007.
The judge decided to suspend the bogus jobs case for three months so the appeals court could rule on whether the delays had pushed the case outside the three-year statute of limitations.
A possible appeal to the constitutional council could delay the case even further and some observers have warned it risks being heard at the same time as next year’s presidential elections.
The trial is in two parts, with nine other defendants in the first case and Mr Chirac alone in the second. The appeal concerns delays in bringing the two cases to court together.
Mr Chirac had been due to address the court today and was said to have “taken note” of the decision. His press release said he was not the source of the procedural appeal and would be “present” whenever the next session opened.
The first former president to face trial faces 10 years’ jail if found guilty. New foreign minister Alain Juppé, an ally of Mr Chirac in the RPR, received a 14-month suspended sentence in 2004 over the bogus jobs.
The city of Paris pulled out of the case after it reached a deal with Mr Chirac and President Sarkozy’s ruling UMP to repay €2.2 million, but the case was continued by two civil parties, which are now furious at the new delay.
One lawyer denounced a “denial of justice”, adding it was no surprise that Front National leader Marine Le Pen was at 23 per cent in opinion polls when the legal system operated at “different speeds” for different people.
The leader of the Socialist group in the National Assembly, Jean-Marc Ayrault, told Le Monde it was essential that the trial took place “so French people would have confidence in their institutions”.
There have been claims that Mr Chirac has Alzheimer's, although his wife denies this.
Photo: Eric Pouhier
