A judge will likely rule on the request Monday, when the trial is scheduled to begin.

Chirac’s legal team told the court in a letter Friday that the 78-year-old “no longer has the full capacity to participate in court proceedings,” according to a statement released a day later. As result, they have asked that Chirac be allowed to skip court appearances.

The trial, which has been repeatedly delayed, involves two cases of fake jobs allegedly created to fund Chirac’s conservative party while he was mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995. Chirac has denied wrongdoing.