Former French President Jacques Chirac has been ordered to stand trial on corruption charges.
The charges date to his time as mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995 and relate to claims of false job contracts.
Mr Chirac, 76, has always denied any wrongdoing. Paris public prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin has previously said there was no case to make against him.
The BBC reports this is the first time a former head of state in France has been ordered to stand trial for corruption.
Mr Chirac was president from 1995 to 2007.
