Chirac trial to resume after constitutional question thrown out

May 20, 2011, 12:47 GMT

Paris - The corruption trial of former French president Jacques Chirac will resume after the constitutional questions raised by one of his co-defendants was rejected by the country's highest appeals court Friday.

The court decided against referring the questions - which concerned the time elapsed since the allegations against Chirac and his nine co-defendants arose - to the Constitutional Council, the highest authority on constitutional matters.

The ruling means that the trial, the first ever of a former French president, which was adjourned on March 8, a day after it began, can resume.

Chirac, 78, is charged with misuse of public funds, abuse of trust and conflict of interest over a fake jobs scandal dating to the early 1990s when he was mayor of Paris.

The allegations surfaced after he went on to become president from 1995 to 2007, during which time he enjoyed immunity from prosecution.

The affair relates to the creation of 28 positions on the Paris city payroll for Chirac allies and members of his Rally for the Republic (RPR) party.

If convicted, the leader could face 10 years in prison, although experts say it is very unlikely that he would receive a custodial sentence.