Court opens corruption appeal against Elf

The Paris appeals court began hearing the case against two former top executives of the French oil giant Elf who were convicted a year ago in one of the country's biggest ever corruption trials.
Alfred Sirven and Andre Tarallo, both aged 77, were given five- and four-year jail terms last November after being found guilty of skimming off millions of euros from a company slush-fund. The state prosecutor has appealed against the sentences and will ask the court for the jail terms to be extended.

Loik le Floch-Prigent, who was president of the former state-owned concern from 1989 to 1993, was given five years in jail but has not appealed against the verdict. All three men have since been released from prison. Sirven was in court but Tarallo's lawyers said he was too ill to attend. The appeal will last two months.
A total of 30 people were convicted in the original trial, and in addition to Sirven and Tarallo 13 others are involved in the appeal.