Former French President Chirac to stand trial

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

Former French President Chirac to stand trial
(AP) – 54 minutes ago

PARIS (AP) — After years of claiming presidential immunity to avoid legal proceedings, Jacques Chirac is finally facing a court.

The former president, a bugaboo for George W. Bush during his rush to war in Iraq, on Monday becomes France's first former head of state to go on trial since its Nazi-era leader was exiled

That is, if the whole case isn't derailed by a last-minute protest by another defendant.

If the trial goes ahead as planned, Chirac, 78, faces a month in court on charges that he masterminded a scheme to have Paris City Hall pay for work that benefited his political party when he was mayor — before he became president in 1995.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hPhtTADKYpjf_ryQItGw30qtobwg?docId=027bd549c6af4809bb27da7b88ea1742

[xchrom]

1. The French at least attempt to apply their laws every one.

Here? Not so much.

[FLPanhandle]

6. +1

Politicians need to fear the law as much as the rest of us.

[No Elephants]

9. Everyone, or everyone who isn't on the far right?

[leveymg]

2. Don't the French have a statute of limitations for this petty crap? Geez, start a war that kills

a million people, and they can't touch you in America. Maybe Chirac should seek asylum here, in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Immune (if you're the Chief Executive or a top appointee).

[Arctic Dave]

5. You seem disappointed that he is being held to account?

Is there a reason why he shouldn't?

[No Elephants]

10. Maybe in the same way I was disappointed when Bubba was held to account.

Hint: It wasn't because I approved of a married President receiving bj's from a 21 year old WH intern while he was on the phone with leaders of foreign nations.

[ladjf]

3. If the charges against Chirac are true, his crime would be

trivial compared to the crimes committed by Americans in high places during the past few years. The "wolves" are in charge, supported by the ignorant. How long before the entire corrupt "boil"
pops like an time bomb?

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sabrina 1]

7. I wonder if this is not payback for not being on board

with the War Machine. They don't like people who oppose and/or expose them so nothing would surprise me.

They are now known to have hired Corps to smear Wikileaks and Assange and anyone who was defending them, like Glenn Greenwald among others.

So, they are not beyond doing it to others. We'll see.

[RZM]

8. Do you think 'they'

masterminded what's going on here in the French legal system? I find that unlikely. While many Americans define Chirac by his public statements and actions in the run-up to the Iraq War, the French certainly do not. His position was a consensus one there and in any case, it was just one very minor act in a very long career.