PARIS, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Former French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur went on trial on Tuesday over allegations of using kickbacks from arms deals to finance his presidential campaign in the 1990s, according to local media reports.

Balladur, 91, who was prime minister between 1993 and 1995, was "to face his judges and answer their questions," the French daily Le Figaro reported.

He denounced "a procedure based on rumors... and will plead the acquittal," the daily added, citing his defense lawyer.

In 2017, the conservative politician was placed under formal investigation for alleged complicity in the misuse and handling of assets in the so-called "Karachi affair."

The Court of Justice (CJR), the country's sole jurisdiction over ministerial misconduct, has been tracking an alleged system of kickbacks from submarines sold to Pakistan and frigates sold to Saudi Arabia between 1993 and 1995, of which Balladur was alleged to have benefited.

The CJR is checking whether Balladur's bid for the presidency against Jacque Chirac in 1995 was financed by illegal kickbacks estimated at 2.8 million euros (3.4 million U.S. dollars).

The scandal emerged following a probe into a 2002 bombing in Pakistan, which targeted a bus transporting French engineers. Fifteen people were killed, including 11 French workers from the Naval Construction Office, French media reported. Enditem

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