French President Jacques Chirac on Tuesday was accused of appointing a close ally to one of the country's top judicial posts to dodge corruption charges when his presidential immunity ends next year.
Chirac has been dogged by corruption scandals dating from his time as mayor of Paris between 1977 and 1995. But as president he has been immune from investigation. Now aged 73, he is likely to step down in May and lose his protection as head of state.
Yesterday, his former legal adviser, Laurent de Mesle, was named chief public prosecutor of Paris, giving him the power to decide whether to press charges in the capital. Opposition politicians were outraged.
The Socialist Party leader, Francois Hollande, accused the president of "wanting to protect himself from future legal action."
The Socialists demanded Chirac renounce the appointment of his "closest legal colleague."
The French judges' union also expressed concern at the 55-year-old magistrate's close relationship to the president. Dominique Barella, the head of the magistrate's association, told reporters the appointment was "a clear sign of the muzzling of justice" by the government.
The government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said he was "shocked" by the uproar and called Le Mesle "a high magistrate whose ethics and competence are widely recognized." He said the Cabinet made the decision based on Le Mesle's standing and experience.
Magistrates have launched numerous investigations into allegations of persistent wrongdoing at city hall during Chirac's tenure. Some scandals have led to the conviction of former city officials. Earlier this week, the trial began of a close ally of Chirac and 14 others charged with committing electoral fraud in municipal elections in Paris in 1989 and 1995.
They are accused of planting 327 phantom voters on the electoral register in Paris's third arrondissement ahead of the 1989 local election, in which Chirac's Conservative Party swept to victory.
In July businessmen and friends of the president were found guilty of corruption for their involvement in a housing scam allegedly used to fund his political party while he was mayor.
Last year, Chirac's former Cabinet director, Michel Roussin, was convicted of involvement in a kickback scandal involving contracts to repair Paris schools.
Judges are said to be keen to question Chirac over an illegal party funding scandal involving fictitious jobs, which claimed the scalp of his protege and former prime minister, Alain Juppe.
Juppe received a suspended jail sentence in 2004.
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