You are in:
- Archives » 2006 » September 2006
Chirac's Final Fiddle
You have to admire his gall. While Tony Blair is trying to salvage his legacy by bringing peace to the Middle East, France's Jacques Chirac has his eye on a worldlier goal. He's trying to appoint a close ally to the job of Paris' chief prosecutor, ensuring that he'll get an easy ride when his presidential immunity expires next year.
The biggest dossier on the chief prosecutor's desk will be that dedicated to the 1977-1995 activities of one M. Chirac, who while Paris mayor was alleged to be linked to the "affaire des HLM de Paris", when a complex web of housing and backhanders funnelled funds to Chirac's ruling party. Another case involved seven fictitious jobs created for members of the same party. A third involved kickbacks on contracts to repair schools, while a fourth, while comes to trial this month, is based on allegations that electoral lists were manipulated.
There have been prosecutions and convictions, including former prime minister and once Chirac's right hand man Alain Juppé.
The chief prosecutor gets to decide if and what action should be taken against the president. For the time being, Chirac is safe, as one of his early actions on winning the presidency was granting himself a banana republic-style presidential immunity meaning he cannot be interrogated, charged or tried. However, once he is no longer president, the spell is lifted. This fact even led to rumours that Chirac would run for presidency again next year to avoid the courts.
Chirac wants his former legal adviser Laurent Le Mesle for the job. Opponents, including the head of the magistrates union, described his plot as "shocking." Socialist leader Francois Hollande said that it amounted to an obvious attempt to "protect himself from possible legal proceedings that could be brought against him".
The appointment is due to be confirmed in October. It's hard to imagine how he'll get away with it. A better move might be to suck up to one of the likely winners of next year's election to ensure he is granted a presidential pardon by his successor: However, it's probable that the wily Chirac considered this, and decided that cosying up to either Nicolas Sarkozy or Ségolène Royal was more than he could stomach.
