French court opens trial against Jacques Chirac
A long-awaited French corruption trial opened Monday with former President Jacques Chirac as the star defendant.
He is the first French head of state to go on trial since the country's Nazi-era leader was exiled, though he did not show up for a first day expected to be dominated by procedural issues. Chirac, 78, is accused of embezzlement, breach of trust and conflict of interest, based on allegations linked to his tenure as Paris mayor before he became president from 1995 to 2007. (AP)
