Former French President Jacques Chirac has been ordered to stand trial on corruption charges.
A magistrate ordered the trial over alleged false job contracts dating from Mr Chirac's time as Paris mayor.
The 76-year-old served as the capital's mayor from 1977 until he was elected president in 1995.
Mr Chirac has always denied wrongdoing and the Paris public prosecutor, Jean-Claude Marin, has previously said there was no case to make against him.
This is the first time a former head of state in France will have been ordered to stand trial for corruption, although correspondents say Mr Marin is likely to appeal against the magistrate's trial order.