Not only Trump: Six presidents convicted or imprisoned over past decade
Six presidents who were convicted and imprisoned during the decade (collage: RBC-Ukraine)
On May 31st, a US court found former President Donald Trump guilty in a case involving payment for the silence of a porn actress. Now, theoretically, he faces from four to 136 years of imprisonment.
RBC-Ukraine has compiled cases from history when famous presidents were convicted or imprisoned.
Victor Yanukovych
Victor Yanukovych was the President of Ukraine from February 2010 to February 2014. During the Revolution of Dignity, Yanukovych was supposed to sign an agreement with the opposition to stabilize the situation in Ukraine. However, protesters demanded only his resignation.
On the morning of February 22, Victor Yanukovych left Kyiv. That day, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) supported a resolution on the self-removal of Victor Yanukovych from the post of President of Ukraine.
In turn, Yanukovych made a statement referring to the clashes between protesters and Berkut (A former special police force in the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine) as a "state coup".
As of May 15, 2014, six criminal cases regarding his abuse of power were investigated against the fugitive. Later, he was stripped of the title of President. The then Prosecutor General Makhnitsky reported that Yanukovych had stolen around $100 million in Ukraine.
In 2019, Victor Yanukovych was sentenced in absentia to 13 years in prison, found guilty of treason and aiding in conducting an aggressive war. In 2021, the Higher Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine chose a preventive measure in the form of arrest for the former president in the case of Mezhyhirya.
Victor Yanukovych (photo: Getty Images)
Svetozar Marović
From 2003 to 2006, he served as the President of Serbia and Montenegro. In September 2016, Marović was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for abuse of office and corruption.
He was also ordered to pay the state 1.1 million euros in damages and contribute 100,000 euros to charity. However, due to deteriorating health conditions, the sentence was postponed.
When authorities later planned to arrest and transport him to serve his sentence, Marović went to Serbia for psychiatric treatment.
Svetozar Marović (photo: anticorr.media)
Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžić, former president of the Republika Srpska in Bosnia. He is accused of war crimes and genocide in the territory of the former Yugoslavia.
For 13 years, Karadžić successfully evaded capture, during which time he even managed to write and publish a novel. He hid under the alias Dragan Dabić, practiced alternative medicine, treating patients for depression and sexual dysfunction. Even during his arrest, Karadžić offered his services.
During his first hearing, Karadžić was charged with 11 counts, including genocide, extermination, persecution on political, racial, and religious grounds, hostage-taking, and more.
As a result, Radovan Karadžić was sentenced to 40 years in prison for crimes and genocide he committed during the Bosnian War of 1992-1995. In 2019, his sentence was increased to life imprisonment.
Radovan Karadžić (photo: aa.com.tr)
Gaston Flosse
He served as the President of French Polynesia in 1984-1987, 1991-2005, 2008, and 2013-2014. He was convicted three times, yet he still returned to the presidency.
In 2006, he was first convicted for illegally receiving commissions from the sale of a hotel and embezzlement of public funds: three months and one year suspended sentences respectively. In 2013, Gaston received up to five years in prison for passive influence peddling and active corruption.
In 2022, Flosse was sentenced to nine months suspended, fined, and banned from holding public office for five years for a fraudulent contract related to the registration of elections in the capital of French Polynesia.
Gaston Flosse (photo: liberation.fr)
Carlos Menem
President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999.
In June 2013, Menem was sentenced to seven years in prison for involvement in arms smuggling to Ecuador and Croatia in violation of an embargo. This came to light following a series of explosions at an ammunition factory in 1995. The explosions were deliberately caused to cover up the arms smuggling.
Despite the sentence, Carlos Menem did not serve time in prison because he was 82 years old at the time. In 2015, he was found guilty of embezzlement and sentenced to an additional four and a half years in prison. Carlos Menem passed away in 2021 at the age of 90.
Carlos Menem (photo: antikor.com.ua)
Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi
President of the Comoros Islands from 2006 to 2011, becoming the first president of the country from the island of Anjouan.
In 2008, a law was passed in the Comoros Islands allowing the sale of their citizenship. Over the course of 10 years, Sambi was accused of corruption, misappropriation of public funds, and document forgery. The case specifically involved the sale of passports for $260 million.
In November 2022, Sambi was sentenced to life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi (photo: aljazeera.com)
Previously, we reported that in the event of victory, Trump wants to appoint Elon Musk as his advisor.
Also, read about the possible reason for the helicopter crash with the President of Iran.
Sources: Wikipedia, BBC, Serbian media, DW.
