Juppe political career in ruins after corruption ruling

FORMER French Prime Minister Alain Juppe’s political career lay in tatters last night after he was convicted of corruption and banned from public office.

It all but ended his dream of following President Jacques Chirac, his friend and mentor, into the Elysee Palace. Right winger Juppe was found guilty of involvement in a finance scandal in Paris City Hall at the time Chirac was the mayor. He was given a suspended 18-month prison sentence.

A court in Nanterre, near Paris, also declared him ineligible for public office for 10 years, a decision he had said would end his political career.