the first former French head of state to be convicted since Marshal Philippe Petain

A French court has convicted former President Jacques Chirac of diverting public funds and abusing public confidence.

Mr Chirac, 79, was not in court to hear the verdict because of ill-health.

President from 1995 to 2007, he was put on trial on charges that dated back to his time as mayor of Paris.

He was accused of paying members of his Rally for the Republic (RPR) party for municipal jobs that did not exist.

The prosecution had urged the judge to acquit Mr Chirac and nine others accused in the trial. In 2004, during his presidency, several figures including France's current Foreign Minister Alain Juppe were convicted in connection with the case.

Mr Juppe was given a 14-month suspended sentence.

Jacques Chirac, mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995, is the first former French head of state to be convicted since Marshal Philippe Petain, the leader of the wartime Vichy regime, was found guilty in 1945 of collaborating with the Nazis.