Paris, Nov. 15 (Reuters): One of the darkest chapters of late French President Francois Mitterrand?s rule finally made it to court today as 12 men went on trial for a 1980s wiretap scandal reminiscent of the US Watergate cover-up.

Mitterrand?s anti-terrorism chief and several cabinet advisers, including carmaker Renault?s chairman Louis Schweitzer, risk a year in jail and a 45,000 euro ($57,870) fine for bugging about 50 politicians, journalists and lawyers.

The wiretaps appeared mainly intended to cover up a police scandal over false gun-running charges against France-based Irish nationalists and to head off publication of the secret that Mitterrand had an illegitimate daughter.

The snooping was carried out between 1983 and 1986 by the anti-terrorist unit at the president?s Elysee Palace headed by Christian Prouteau, one of the defendants. ?The wiretaps the Elysee asked for never served the struggle against terrorism,? Yves Bonnet, head of the DST intelligence service at the time, told the Le Parisien newspaper.