French ex-president Sarkozy on trial for graft

France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy went on trial yesterday on charges of corruption, becoming the first French ex-head of state to stand as an accused in the dock and risking a humiliating end to a career tainted by legal woes. Sarkozy, who has vowed to vigorously contest the accusations of bribery, was himself present in court in Paris but did not make any statement to reporters, an AFP correspondent said. Only one other president, Sarkozy's political mentor Jacques Chirac, has faced trial after leaving office -- but because of ill health, Chirac never appeared in court for his conviction in a fake-jobs scandal. The bribery inquiry also saw Sarkozy become the first ex-president taken into police custody for questioning after it was launched six years ago.