French corruption case verdict due

Mr Dumas says dishonour would be unbearable for him

A court in France is set to deliver its verdict in the trial of former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas in one of the longest-running corruption scandals in the country.

To run the risk of dishonour is an especially great risk at my age

Roland Dumas

Together with his ex-lover, Christine Deviers-Joncour, 53, a former model, Mr Dumas is accused of involvement in state-sponsored corruption.

The 78-year-old lawyer, collector, diplomat and bon-viveur is charged with receiving illegal funds from state-owned oil company Elf Aquitaine from 1989 to 1992, while he was foreign minister.

Also in the dock are former Elf chairman Loik Le Floch-Prigent, former Elf executive Alfred Sirven, two other Elf executives and a businessman.

Luxury gifts

Mr Dumas is alleged to have secured his ex-girlfriend a job with Elf, and to have illegally benefited from the gifts that the company lavished on her.

Ms Deviers-Joncour: Said to earn money for a fictitious job

Specifically, he is a accused of having been given a pair of luxury shoes worth $1,500, antique Greek statues worth $40,000, and of having made use of a central Paris flat which Ms Deviers-Joncour bought out of her payments from Elf.

Mr Dumas denied knowing that the gifts were aimed at winning his support for the sale of six French frigates to Taiwan's navy.

Ms Deviers-Joncour has testified that she received $6.4m from a fund at Elf in return for her efforts to sway Mr Dumas' views.

'Heartbreaking'

Mr Dumas denies the charges. If found guilty, he could face up to two years in prison.

Alfred Sirven was Elf's second-in-command

In his evidence, the former foreign minister said it was heartbreaking for him to be on trial.

"To run the risk of dishonour is an especially great risk at my age," he said.

Mr Dumas served two periods as foreign minister during Francois Mitterrand's presidency and was promoted to head the Constitutional Court, France's fifth highest institutional position, in 1995.

The BBC's correspondent in Paris, James Coomarasamy, says that the case has been seen as a watershed in French politics, as it is the first time such a senior politician has had to answer corruption charges in the dock.