PARIS The daughter of France's President Jacques Chirac was questioned Wednesday by magistrates investigating how her father came to pay cash for a series of private air journeys, judicial sources told AFP.

Claude Chirac, who works as an adviser to the president and accompanied her father on some of the suspect trips between 1992 and 1995 when he was mayor of Paris, was interviewed as a witness, the sources said.

Claude Chirac confirmed that she had been questioned. Magistrates probing an alleged system of kickbacks on public works contracts during Chirac's 18-year reign as mayor of Paris uncovered the cash payments for luxury holidays earlier this year.

Chirac, Claude and France's "first lady" Bernadette Chirac took a series of holidays, including a trip to New York on Concorde and a break on the tropical island of Reunion.

The journeys were paid for in cash delivered to the travel agents by Chirac's aides.

It was revealed Wednesday that several close aides to Chirac, in addition to his daughter, had been questioned. Bernadette is also expected to be summoned.

They were questioned at length over a widening scandal concerning 2.4 million francs (366,000 euros, 310,000 dollars) Chirac is said to have spent in cash for the air tickets.

Chirac's office has said the money came from secret, but legal, cash bonuses paid to him from government funds when he was prime minister between 1986 and 1988.

Magistrates, however, suspect the money may be linked to illegal commissions allegedly paid to Chirac's rally for the Republic Party.

The scandal has embarrassed Chirac, who has come under intense pressure to explain why he paid cash for the trips to New York, Hong Kong, Reunion and other locations.

It has also become a political liability for the conservative president ahead of next year's presidential elections in which he is expected to run against socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.