Chirac defends role in cash-for-trips scandal

French President Jacques Chirac has said cash payments for luxury trips when he was Paris mayor were "perfectly legal" and made in cash for "reasons of discretion and security".

In his first public comments on the allegations, Mr Chirac tried to take the offensive, calling in a live TV interview for a freeze on the system of so-called "secret funds", which are at the disposal of prime ministers and not subject to any oversight.

Mr Chirac's image has been tarnished by a string of corruption allegations dating from his 18-year tenure as Paris mayor. The most recent scandal involves cash payments made for some 20 luxury trips overseas for Mr Chirac, his family and entourage from 1992-1995, when he was mayor.

Mr Chirac said the trips, some for government purposes and some private, were financed from those secret funds, and were "perfectly legal".

"They were paid for in cash. Why? For reasons of discretion and security," he said.

Asked about allegations the money may have come from other, illicit sources, such as kickbacks he is accused of receiving while serving as mayor, Mr Chirac said: "I have nothing to hide."

He denounced what he called "rumours and manipulation" that he said were damaging democracy in France, and the country's image overseas.

Mr Chirac also said he was "profoundly wounded" by the treatment of his family in the recent scandal.

Mr Chirac's daughter, Claude, was called to testify before judges earlier this week. "The president has a right to a private life," he said. Claude Chirac is one of the president's top advisers.