Chirac will be asked for Parisians' money

Former French President Jacques Chirac, 74, will be formally investigated over allegations he embezzled public funds while he was mayor of Paris and leader of the Rally for the Republic (ROR). The start of a formal investigation indicates that the judges have gathered important evidence against the suspect. Yesterday Jacques Chirac, whose presidential immunity expired on June 16, was interrogated in the case for the second time. In July, an investigator arrived at Monsieur Chirac's office to ask him questions. Now the ex-president himself had to appear before the investigation representatives.

The suspects in the case include 20 people who are accused of fictitiously applying for a job at the Paris City Hall in the 1980s and 1990s. According to investigators, fake employees were recruited in order to bypass the law to pay for the activities of party functionaries. Today, the influential French newspaper Le Monde publishes an interview with Chirac, in which he tries to give his version of the scandal: “I ordered the recruitment of employees for these positions, as it was legitimate and necessary. Paris funds have never been used for purposes that are not in the interests of Parisians.”

Katerina LABETSKAYA, Ivan SOLOVIEV