Chirac 'too ill' to attend trial
Former French president Jacques Chirac is unable to attend his own corruption trial because he suffers from a failing memory, his lawyers claimed today.
The final decision will be up to the trial judge, but after hearing the most detailed public information yet about Chirac’s health, the prosecution said it would not object if he missed the trial.
The Paris judge has several options, including suspending the proceedings to await further medical expertise, proceeding without 78-year-old Chirac in the courtroom, or throwing out the case.
France’s first trial involving a former head of state since the Second World War is due to run until September 23. It was suspended shortly after it began in March so a higher court could rule on an appeal by one of the co-defendants.
Judge Dominique Pauthe read from a letter by Chirac’s lawyers saying the ex-president wanted to be heard because it would be “useful for our democracy” and show that “all people are equal under the law.”
The letter, Pauthe said, came accompanied by 4 pages of medical records, including a brain scan in April.
Lawyer Jean Veil told the court that Chirac suffers from “severe memory lapses” linked to an “irreversible condition.” He said Chirac’s condition was not a sickness but a “symptom” possibly linked to his 2005 stroke or “other origins.”
Chirac’s legal team had written to the tribunal on Friday arguing that Chirac “no longer has the full capacity to participate in court
Chirac’s wife, Bernadette, denied rumours earlier this year that he had Alzheimer’s disease, but she acknowledged he was experiencing problems that were either linked to a 2005 stroke or his age.
The trial involves two cases centring on the alleged creation of more than two-dozen fake municipal jobs used to fund Chirac’s conservative party while he was mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995. He enjoyed immunity from prosecution during his subsequent 12 years as head of state.
Chirac has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and his lawyers said previously that he was welcoming the chance to make his case in court.
On trial with Chirac are two of his former mayoral chiefs of staff and seven others said to have benefited improperly.
