Prosecutor won’t appeal decision to try ex-French President Chirac in corruption scandal

November 4th, 2009 PARIS - Former French President Jacques Chirac has come up with a surprising revelation about his private life - the loss of his virginity. In "Each Step Must Itself Be a Goal", the first of two volumes, which charts his life up to his 1995 presidency, Chirac recounts how he lost his virginity while working as a sailor aged 18 in an Algiers bordello.

November 4th, 2009 PARIS - Former French president Jacques Chirac has expressed a grudging admiration for former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher despite their bitter clashes over Europe. Though the memoir is critical of Lady Thatcher, Chirac, however, is clearly impressed by her statesmanship.

November 3rd, 2009 Chirac's memoirs show restraint on SarkozyPARIS — Former French President Jacques Chirac released his memoir Tuesday, calling his successor Nicolas Sarkozy "nervous, in a hurry, ready for action" — comments notable for their restraint given the two men's tense relations. Commentators eagerly pored over the memoir for insights into Chirac's legal problems in a corruption case predating his presidency.

October 30th, 2009 PARIS - Former French president Jacques Chirac will be tried for abuse of public funds in an affair dating from 1983 to 1995, when he was mayor of Paris, French media reported Friday. The 76-year-old Chirac is charged with authorising the hiring of 21 people for jobs at the Paris City Hall that they did not carry out.

October 30th, 2009 France's Jacques Chirac ordered to stand trial PARIS — A French judge ordered former President Jacques Chirac to stand trial on embezzlement charges predating his presidency — a case that could mark the first time a former leader of modern France is forced to defend himself in court. Chirac is to be tried for embezzlement and breach of trust in a corruption case dating back to his tenure as mayor of Paris, a judicial official said Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing.

October 20th, 2009 French Prosecutor: Convict ex-PM in slander trialPARIS — A French prosecutor recommended Tuesday that former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin be convicted for his alleged role in a smear campaign against President Nicolas Sarkozy, arguing he should have put an end to rumors swirling about his rival. Prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin called for an 18-month suspended sentence and a fine of €45,000 ($67,370) for Villepin, one of several defendants in the complex slander trial that has rocked the country's political establishment.

October 20th, 2009 Prosecutor: Villepin should be finedPARIS — A prosecutor has recommended an 18-month suspended sentence and a fine of €45,000 ($67,370) for former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin in a slander trial that has rocked the country's political establishment. The court has not yet set a date for a verdict.

October 7th, 2009 Top court overturns Italian premier's immunityROME — Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi vowed to stay on and "go forward" Wednesday after an Italian court struck down a law granting him immunity from prosecution and allowed trials for corruption and tax fraud to resume in Milan. There were immediate calls for his resignation.

September 30th, 2009 Prosecutors ask court to drop case against ChiracPARIS — The Paris prosecutor's office has asked a court to drop a case against former President Jacques Chirac and others accused in an alleged corruption scandal dating back to his 1977-1995 tenure as Paris mayor, a judicial official said Tuesday. The request has been delivered to investigating judge Xaviere Simeoni, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing.

August 22nd, 2009 Frenchman who shot at ex-President Chirac releasedPARIS — A French far-right activist has been released from prison seven years after attempting to assassinate then-President Jacques Chirac in a Bastille Day attack, a judicial official said Saturday. Maxime Brunerie was convicted of attempted murder after he pulled a rifle from a guitar case and shot at Chirac on July 14, 2002.

August 18th, 2009 AP sources: NJ corruption prosecutor faces probeWASHINGTON — The top federal prosecutor in New Jersey is facing an internal ethics investigation over public comments that may have helped his ex-boss' campaign for governor, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The probe marks a particularly embarrassing turn for federal authorities charged with weeding out corruption in scandal-scarred New Jersey: An internal affairs investigation has been launched into their handling of a major corruption case just days after they filed charges in the case.

July 29th, 2009 Figure in NJ corruption scandal found dead at homeJERSEY CITY, N.J. — A political consultant who was one of 44 people arrested last week in New Jersey's massive political corruption scandal has been found dead in his apartment.

July 1st, 2009 Berlusconi in new scandal over Italy judge dinnerROME — Premier Silvio Berlusconi is steeped in a new scandal over a dinner he had at the home of a constitutional court judge who will rule on a key decision whether to grant him immunity from prosecution while in office. Opposition lawmakers have called for the removal of the judge, Luigi Mazzella, and a colleague who participated in the mid-May dinner, saying there would never be any way to know whether Berlusconi influenced their deliberations on the immunity issue.

June 13th, 2009 German prosecutors charge ex-Siemens managerMUNICH, Germany — German prosecutors have charged a former top-ranking Siemens AG manager with breach of trust for his alleged role in a widespread corruption scandal at the Munich-based industrial conglomerate, an official said Saturday. Charges had been brought against the ex-head of finance for Siemens' communications branch, Michael Kutschenreuter, said Anton Winkler, a spokesman for Munich prosecutors.

May 4th, 2009 PARIS - Nearly two-thirds of French voters are disappointed by President Nicolas Sarkozy's performance since his election two years ago, according to a new poll. According to a Metro newspaper commissioned survey, 65 per cent of the respondents said they were disappointed with Sarkozy's performance, 24 per cent said they were satisfied and 11 per cent said they had no opinion.