While a serving French leader is generally safe from prosecution, former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac were convicted after leaving office.
On Thursday with the indictment of former president Donald Trump, the United States waded into new territory a move that was unprecedented in US history but other liberal democracies have extensive experience charging former and sometimes current leaders.
A grand jury on Thursday indicted Trump in connection with a payment to an adult film actress in exchange for keeping silent on an alleged affair they had more than 15 years ago. The related charges could involve possible campaign-finance violations and falsification of business records; Trump is to appear in court on Tuesday.
Trump’s indictment is ground-breaking for the United States but not all that uncommon among liberal democracies – despite prominent Trump supporters saying the charges make the US look like a dysfunctional “banana republic”.
France has prosecuted two
ex-presidents, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy, as well as former prime
minister François Fillon on charges ranging from campaign finance violations to
embezzlement.
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