Former French President Chirac to stand trial
After years of claiming presidential immunity to avoid legal proceedings, Jacques Chirac is finally facing a court. The former president isFrance's first former head of state to go on trial since its Nazi-era leader was exiled.
If the trial goes ahead as planned, the 78-year-old Chirac faces a month in court on charges that he masterminded a scheme to have Paris City Hall pay for work that benefited his conservative political party when he was mayor, before he became president in 1995. A prison term is seen as highly unlikely, but if convicted, Chirac could be jailed for up to 10 years. (AP)
