The embezzlement trial for former French President Jacques Chirac opened Monday, but the former leader was too ill too attend, according to media reports.
Chirac’s lawyers told AFP that he has memory problems and was not able to attend the hearing. He is accused of embezzling public funds for nearly two decades while he was the mayor of Paris between 1977 and 1995. He was immune from prosecution during his presidency between 1995 and 2007.
“President Chirac indicated to the court his wish to see the trial proceed to its end and his willingness to assume his responsibilities, even though he is not entirely capable of taking part in the hearings,” his lawyers said in a statement obtained by the news agency.
The Le Journal du Dimanche (The Sunday Newspaper) reported that Chirac, 78, suffers from a memory disorder called anosognosia, in which the sufferer forgets that he or she has disabilities.
Chriac’s trial was originally slated to begin in March but was delayed for six months over an appeal lodged by one of his co-defendants.
If he is found guilty, he could be sentenced to 10 years in jail and will have to pay a $210,000 fine, AFP reported.
