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Chirac faces Paris scandal judge Chirac faces Paris scandal judge
(about 2 hours later)
Former French President Jacques Chirac is being questioned by a magistrate probing a party funding scandal dating back to his time as mayor of Paris.Former French President Jacques Chirac is being questioned by a magistrate probing a party funding scandal dating back to his time as mayor of Paris.
Mr Chirac is being interviewed as an assisted witness, which means he could eventually face criminal charges. Mr Chirac, 74, is being interviewed as an assisted witness, which means he could eventually face criminal charges.
The inquiry is looking into a fake jobs scheme that was used to finance Mr Chirac's conservative RPR party during his time as mayor in 1977-1995.The inquiry is looking into a fake jobs scheme that was used to finance Mr Chirac's conservative RPR party during his time as mayor in 1977-1995.
Mr Chirac has denied wrongdoing, saying party funding lacked legal clarity.
His lawyer has said he will not face questioning over any other scandals.His lawyer has said he will not face questioning over any other scandals.
Mr Chirac still enjoys presidential immunity in the investigation into the death of a French judge in Djibouti and in the so-called Clearstream affair, regarding an alleged attempt to smear Nicolas Sarkozy before he succeeded Mr Chirac as president.Mr Chirac still enjoys presidential immunity in the investigation into the death of a French judge in Djibouti and in the so-called Clearstream affair, regarding an alleged attempt to smear Nicolas Sarkozy before he succeeded Mr Chirac as president.
The immunity does not apply to the period before he became president, when he was mayor of Paris.The immunity does not apply to the period before he became president, when he was mayor of Paris.
Judge Alain Philibeaux questioned the former president at his offices on Paris' Left Bank on Thursday, judicial officials said. Mr Chirac's lawyer was present. Town hall scam
Judge Alain Philibeaux questioned the former president at his offices on Paris's Left Bank on Thursday, judicial officials said. Mr Chirac's lawyer was present.
The inquiry focuses on illegal payments given to members of Mr Chirac's party while he was mayor.The inquiry focuses on illegal payments given to members of Mr Chirac's party while he was mayor.
The former president's close ally and one-time Prime Minister, Alain Juppe, was convicted in the scandal in 2004 and banned from politics for a year. The status of assisted witness falls between that of simple witness and formal investigation, and implies that there is some evidence against the person questioned.
Mr Chirac has denied wrongdoing. The former president's close ally and one-time prime minister, Alain Juppe, was convicted in the scandal in 2004 and banned from politics for a year.
Prosecutors said housing officials received bribes from businessmen and that some of the money went to Mr Chirac's Rally for the Republic (RPR).
In a statement published in the French daily Le Monde, Mr Chirac said he found it "very normal" to answer questions about the party-funding affair.
He said there had been "seven years of tentative moves" between an initial law in 1988 and a third in 1995 to "arrive at a good judicial framework" on political funding.