France

The medical charity Global Fund is denying allegations it awarded sizeable contracts without tender to a friend of French First Lady Carla Bruni (pictured), who is a Global Fund ambassador. The charges appeared in French weekly Marianne.

Former French president Jacques Chirac was found guilty on Thursday of embezzling funds and violating public trust for hiring members of his political party for non-existent civil jobs while he was mayor of Paris. Chirac says he will not appeal.

A Paris court was set Thursday to give their verdict in a trial in which former French president Jacques Chirac is accused of corruption in party financing during his time as Paris mayor from 1977 to 1995.

Former culture minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres (pictured) was questioned on Tuesday over alleged kickbacks from the 1994 sale of submarines to Pakistan, suspected of having been used to fund a campaign for an ally of President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Paris prosecutors said Wednesday they had called off a probe into claims that French former president Jacques Chirac (photo) and other politicians accepted money from African regimes in order to fund political campaigns, citing a lack of evidence.

He’s credited with reducing drug crime and robberies in France’s second-largest city Lyon. But Michel Neyret was suspended from police duties Wednesday, accused of associating with criminals and supplying them with drugs.

He’s credited with reducing drug crime and robberies in France’s second-largest city Lyon. But Michel Neyret is looking at suspension Tuesday, accused of associating with criminals and supplying them with drugs.

Lyon’s second-in-command police chief (pictured) and three other senior officers have been arrested over claims by internal investigators that they were complicit in drug trafficking and corruption, rocking the French police force to its core.

The estranged wife of Thierry Gaubert (pictured), French President Nicolas Sarkozy's former communications adviser, told investigators on Friday that her husband made several trips to Switzerland with an arms dealer to pick up suitcases of cash.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office took a hit Thursday after a second ally, Nicolas Bazire, was charged in connection with “Karachigate”, a graft case involving arms sales to Pakistan. Bazire was best man at Sarkozy’s wedding to Carla Bruni.