trial

The long-running judicial investigations into suspected criminal activity surrounding the affairs of L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, centred on money-laundering, illegal political funding, fraud, tax evasion, influence peddling and profiteering from the billionaire’s frail mental condition, finally came to a close on March 28th, exactly one week after former president Nicolas Sarkozy was placed under investigation in the case on the basis of “serious or concordant” evidence that he “abused” Bettencourt’s diminished mental faculties. Michel Deléan reports on the winding up of an investigation that will in all probability lead to one of the most spectacular corruption trials in recent French history, set against a backdrop of high-society drama and deep political intrigue.

Businessman Ian Griffin, to stand trial for the murder of his girlfriend in a luxury Paris hotel, is bailed from jail amid outcry from victim's family.

Three former French soldiers given suspended sentences for their roles in murder of Ivorian man during peacekeeping operations in the African state.

Ten men were acquitted and four received short sentences over gang-rape of teenage girls in a trial described by one lawyer as a "judicial shipwreck".

French football stars, Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema, are to stand trial over allegations that they solicited an under-age prostitute.

Trial opens of French pharmaceutical firm Servier for hiding dangers of diabetes drug used to lose weight and blamed for causing at least 500 deaths.

A Franco-Algerian nuclear physicist who worked at CERN has been sentenced to five years in jail, for plotting terror attacks in France.

A French public prosecutor has asked a Paris court to sentence an Algerian-born nuclear physicist to six years in prison for terrorist activities.

A trial in absentia opens in Paris of three members of Palestinian group Abu Nidal over a July 1988 attack on a Greek cruise liner which left 11 dead.

French parfumier Jean-Paul Guerlain goes on trial on racism charges after describing black people as "lazy" and "nègres" in a TV interview.

Feared terror mastermind Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, aka 'Carlos the Jackal', is on trial in Paris for four deadly 1980s bomb attacks in France.

Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, aka Carlos the Jackal, stands trial in France on Monday for 1980s bombings that killed 11 people and wounded nearly 200.