adminopened in his absence.
A medical report said he had memory lapses and was too unwell to attend.
Mr Chirac, who denies the charges, had asked the Paris court for his lawyers to be allowed to represent him. If found guilty, he faces up to 10 years in jail.
He is the first French former leader to stand trial since World War II.
Mr Chirac, who was mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995, is accused on two counts of paying members of his Rally for the Republic party for municipal jobs that did not exist.
The first count accuses Mr Chirac of embezzlement and breach of trust relating to 21 so-called “ghost jobs”.
The second resulted from a separate investigation in the Paris suburb of Nanterre and involves an illegal conflict of interest relating to seven ghost jobs. As well as a prison term, Mr Chirac could be fined 150 000 euros (£130 000) if found guilty in today’s case.
The judge in the case, Dominique Pauthe, is expected to respond to the medical report in his opening remarks. His options include dropping the case, postponing it or seeking further medical opinion. – BBC.co.uk
Online Reporter
- Chronicle
- July 28, 2026
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