PARIS ? A corruption trial in which French former president Jacques Chirac is the star defendant resumes Monday, and the 78-year-old won’t appear while his lawyers argue that he’s not well enough to attend.
A Paris judge has several options, such as suspending the proceedings to await further medical expertise, proceeding without Chirac in the courtroom, or throwing out the case.
France’s first trial involving a former head of state since World War II is to run through Sept. 23. It was suspended shortly after it began in March so a higher court could rule on an appeal by one of the co-defendants.
Chirac’s legal team, in a weekend statement, said it had sent a letter to the tribunal on Friday arguing that Chirac “no longer has the full capacity to participate in court proceedings” ? and asking that he be allowed to skip them.
The lawyers included in the letter the results of a neurological exam, though Jean Veil, one of Chirac’s lawyers, declined to give details to The Associated Press. It’s not unusual for defendants in France to ask to skip their trials for medical reasons.
Chirac’s wife, Bernadette, denied rumors earlier this year that he had Alzheimer’s disease, but she acknowledged he was experiencing problems that were either linked to a 2005 stroke or his age.
The trial involves two cases centering on the alleged creation of more than two-dozen fake City Hall jobs used to fund Chirac’s conservative party while he was mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995. He enjoyed immunity from prosecution during his subsequent 12 years as head of state.
Chirac has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and his lawyers said previously that he was welcoming the chance to make his case in court.
On trial with Chirac are two of his former chiefs of staff at City Hall and seven others said to have benefited improperly from the graft.
If convicted, he would face up to 10 years in prison and euro150,000 ($215,000) in fines.
The case is among many scandals to hound Chirac over his years as mayor ? including claims that he and his family improperly ate some euro2.1 million worth of food from 1987 to 1995 at the city’s expense. Those cases were rejected either for lack of evidence or because they had surpassed the statute of limitations.
Many critics have decried the trappings of presidential immunity.
“This is without a doubt a two-track justice system,” Eva Joly, leader of the Green Party and a former high-profile judge, said on France-Info radio Monday. “Having to wait a decade for a verdict isn’t right.”
While Chirac has retired from day-to-day politics, he remains a huge presence in the political landscape. The party of Nicolas Sarkozy, Chirac’s successor as president, has its roots in the political machine that Chirac built.
The popular, avuncular former president made headlines in June after appearing in public with Socialist presidential hopeful Francois Hollande, and saying that he would vote for him ? which resonated as a dig against Sarkozy. Chirac’s office later said it was a joke.
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