Dumas should get two years, says prosecutor

The French public prosecutor, Mr Jean-Pierre Champrenault, yesterday sought a two-year prison sentence for the former French foreign minister, Mr Roland Dumas, as well as a 2.5 million franc (£300,000) fine. He asked that Mr Dumas (78) be banned from public office. Mr Dumas went on trial on January 23rd for conspiracy to defraud and possession of publicly owned property.

For Mr Dumas's former mistress, Ms Christine Deviers-Joncour, the prosecutor re commended a three-year sentence, with one year suspended. For their central role in the corruption scandal, the former chairman and deputy chairman of the Elf Aquitaine oil company, Mr Loik Le Floch-Prigent and Mr Alfred Sirven, should get the maximum sentence of five years in prison and a 2.5 million franc fine, Mr Champrenault concluded.

He called Mr Le Floch-Prigent and Mr Sirven "ambitious delinquents who went after Elf's money for personal enrichment". Mr Sirven is accused of stealing 1.5 billion francs (£180 million) from Elf.

The prosecutor called Ms Deviers-Joncour and her other lover, Mr Gilbert Miara, who is also on trial, "social climbers who thought they could get rich quick". Two other defendants were career executives at Elf who turned a blind eye to financial improprieties at the then state-owned company, where, Mr Champrenault said, "the accounting department was a melting pot where everything was mixed up from Malaysia to Cameroon".

As their trial drew towards a close yesterday, the accused looked sheepish sitting on the front bench of the courtroom. Ms Deviers-Joncour, who according to the prosecutor received 64 million francs in embezzled funds, slumped forward, her dark hair hiding her face. When she looked up, her eyes were red from crying. Mr Dumas sat as far as possible from the woman who destroyed his reputation. He flinched slightly when Mr Champrenault described him as "a politician who renounced honesty".

The prosecutor seemed to savour his indictment of Mr Dumas most. Until 1999, when Mr Dumas was forced to step down as president of the Constitutional Council, he was the fifth-ranking official in France. On January 31st, exasperated by Mr Champrenault's questions, the suave Mr Dumas lost his temper and threatened the prosecutor, saying "the day when I take care of certain magistrates, believe me . . . "

Mr Dumas allegedly asked Mr Le Floch-Prigent to "hire" Ms Deviers-Joncour in exchange for using his influence to have Mr Le Floch-Prigent appointed chairman of Elf. The politician is also accused of receiving custom-made Italian shoes, a painting and Greek statuettes paid for with public money.