SHAMED former French leader Jacques Chirac has been found guilty of corruption and given a suspended jail sentence, becoming France’s first ex-president to be convicted for his crimes.

Former French president Jacques Chirac was found guilty today of embezzling public funds in a trial over illegal financing of the conservative party he led for a long time.

POLICE questioned France’s richest woman yesterday about suspected tax evasion and money laundering, her lawyer said, in a scandal that has shaken the government.

The heiress to the L’Oreal cosmetics fortune is being questioned by French investigators in a probe into her finances which has embroiled the government, her lawyer said today.

Lawyers for Roman Polanski clashed today over his legal strategy, with one saying the director will not surrender to US authorities after 31 years on the run and another suggesting that Polanski was ready to consider the move.