Former French President Charged with Embezzlement

Former French President Jacques Chirac was charged with embezzlement on Friday, Oct. 31 2009. A statement from Chirac's office said that he and nine others were charged with having a role in awarding 21 contracts for non-existent jobs, which Chirac denies. Paris public prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin said the case against Mr. Chirac may not go on trial since there is no case against him. Marin is expected to appeal the decision by Judge Xaviere Simeoni, whose role is to investigate cases and decide whether suspects should face trial. If Marin does decide to appeal the decision, then a final decision would be made by the appeals court in a year or so. Earlier Simeoni investigated 35 work contracts allegedly awarded by Paris city hall as favors to friends or associates of Mr. Chirac's political camp. The judge concluded that 21 of the 35 jobs were non-existent. Chirac's office released a statement saying he was "determined to demonstrate to the tribunal that none of the contracts that are still in debate were for non-existent jobs." Chirac has been hit with a flurry of legal challenges since he stepped down in 2007, after having constitutional immunity for his 12 years in office. Chirac has been a central French public figure for nearly four decades. He has joined a long list of French officials who have been accused of abusing their power by using political funds to further their careers. Former interior minister Charles Pasqua and former prime minister Dominique de Villepin are two figures using their power to raise money and create arms markets. Pasqua was charged on Tuesday with peddling influence to an Israeli arms dealer and sentenced to a year in prison. De Villepin is awaiting his verdict from a court in January regarding whether he allowed the circulation of a falsified list of illegal bank accounts that included the name of President Nicholas Sarkozy. While De Villepin awaits the verdict of his trial scheduled for January, he has used the publicity to refuel his political career. He has hinted he might run for president in 2012 against Sarkozy. Sarkozy has declined to comment whether an appropriate decision was made to charge Chirac. Political figures from both the left and the right are divided on this issue. Some feel the justice system has served its purpose even if Chirac is retired and no longer in the public eye as mayor of Paris or president of France. Meanwhile Segolene Royal, the Socialist candidate for president in 2007, said the former president has the right to peace and quiet while in retirement. He said putting Chirac in front of a judge at such a late point in his life is "bad for the French image, even if he deserves it." He went on to say, "It isn't good to go back on things again and again," according to The Washington Post. Steven Ekovich, an international relations professor at American University of Paris, said the charges are "a little surprising, but I doubt it's going to go far, mostly because of his age. I can't imagine President Sarkozy will allow the justice system procedures to go far." These accusations have been present since Chirac was first in office from 1977 to 1995. Chirac went on to become the French president from 1995 to 2007 and went into retirement when Sarkozy was elected in the year 2007. He has dodged several bullets by several scandals, and has avoided prosecution each time.