By Andrew L. Jaffee

Le président de la république isn’t looking so well today. From the BBC:

A French court has convicted 38 people in a corruption scandal involving Paris City Hall when President Jacques Chirac was mayor of the capital.

The court handed out suspended prison sentences of up to two years and fines of up to 60,000 euros (?42,000).

Prosecutors said housing officials received bribes from businessmen and that some of the money went to Mr Chirac’s Rally for the Republic (RPR).

Mr Chirac has denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of any corruption racket.

But he refused to testify in the case, claiming presidential immunity. …

The verdicts were the culmination of a 12-year probe into millions of dollars’ worth of payments by construction companies seeking lucrative building contracts.

The case was made famous in 2000 by a videotaped statement by a former RPR official alleging that Mr Chirac knew of kickbacks paid to the party.

This and his “friendship” with Saddam… some track-record…