By Paris correspondent James Coomarasamy

The former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas should stand trial on corruption charges, the Paris Prosecutors' Office has recommended.

The prosecutor recommended that Mr Dumas should face criminal charges, together with his ex-mistress and several other senior officials.

For the past two years Mr Dumas has been at the centre of an investigation into alleged influence peddling.

He is accused of benefiting from payments of about $10m which the Elf Acquitaine oil company gave his former mistress, Christine Deviers-Joncour.

It is also been alleged that he used his influence in order to facilitate the sale of six frigates to Taiwan.

Mr Dumas has always denied the charges.

Examinig magistrates

The former foreign minister stepped down last month as head of the French Constitutional Council, the country's fifth highest post.

The final decision to begin the court case rests with the examining magistrates.

This could be complicated by a separate ruling at the French Supreme Court into procedural problems during the investigation.

Best selling book

These centre on the testimony of Mrs Deviers-Joncour, who spent five months in pre-trial detention.

In a best-selling book she claimed to have been hired by Elf in order to use her influence over the then foreign minister.

The French oil giant has been cited in a number of recent corruption probes, most notably the scandal surrounding the funding of the German Christian Democrat Party.