Jacques Chirac to be tried for corruption

JACQUES CHIRAC will be the first former French president to be tried for corruption, officials said yesterday, after charges from his years as mayor of Paris returned to taint the twilight of his long career.

Chirac stands accused of giving political allies lucrative bogus jobs as city hall “ghost workers” and his trial will be the latest in a series to expose graft and dirty tricks at the highest levels of state.

Judicial officials confirmed Chirac would face trial on charges of “abuse of trust” and “misuse of public funds”.