Jacques Chirac, France’s former president, could escape a planned prosecution on corruption charges under a deal in which he would repay some of the money he allegedly misused when he was mayor of Paris.
The former head of state is due to stand trial later this year or early in 2011 on charges of misusing public funds when he allegedly created 21 phoney jobs for friends and political allies during his time as mayor of the capital in the early 1990s.
Mr Chirac’s lawyers have drawn up a deal whereby the ex-president would repay €550,000 ($696,000, £450,000) to the Paris mayor’s office as compensation. The centre-right UMP party, the successor to Mr Chirac’s RPR party, would pay the city hall €1.65m under the deal.