Corsica ex-governor guity of arson

AJACCIO, Corsica -- The former governor of Corsica has been sentenced to prison for ordering police arson attacks in 1999 on illegally built cafes on the Mediterranean island.

A court in the French-ruled island's main city of Ajaccio on Friday handed Bernard Bonnet, 53, a three-year jail sentence, of which two years were suspended.

During his trial, Bonnet denied allegations that he ordered a military squad to burn down the cafes. Two of his top aides confessed to starting the fires and accused Bonnet of betrayal for denying his role.

Former cabinet aide Gerard Pardini and the then police chief, Henri Mazeres, both received six-month jail sentences for their role in the attacks.

And five policemen involved in the arson attacks received sentences ranging from six months in jail to 18 months suspended.

Bonnet said he would appeal against the verdict and sentence, which was well below the four years' jail demanded by prosecutors.

Prosecutors argued that Bonnet masterminded and ordered the attacks, saying he acted out of revenge after having been unable to shut the cafes by legal means.

The cafes were constructed illegally on public beaches, and were reportedly popular with Corsican nationalists, who have waged a campaign of low-level violence for more autonomy in the French-administered island since the 1970s.

Bonnet alleged the orders came directly from aides close to French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who is expected to challenge Jacques Chirac for the presidency in April. But Bonnet was unable to back up the assertion during his trial.

The whole arson affair was deeply embarrassing for the government at the time. Shortly afterwards, Jospin embarked on controversial moves to grant limited autonomy to end decades of violence by Corsican separatists.