French court sentences six to jail over kickbacks from arms sales to Pakistan, Saudi

A Paris court convicted three former French government officials along with three ors for involvement in millions of euros of kickbacks in arms sales to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Commonly kwn as ‘Karachigate’, Agosta Submarine scandal was a major military scandal in early 90s which involved massive kickbacks between France and Pakistan over negotiations to acquire submarines.

In 1994, murky deal was signed between n Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and French president François Mitterrand. After eight years, 11 French engineers were killed in a suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan. Initially, killings were considered as a terrorist attack but furr investigations linked it to submarine sales.

According to media reports, re were suspicions that car bombing was an act of revenge after President Jacques Chirac ordered to stop payment of secret commissions. Investigating judges concluded that kickbacks were used to fund failed presidential bid of former Prime Minister Edouard Ballur when Nicholas Sarkozy was a budget minister and his election spokesperson.

Ballur lost election to Chirac who cancelled payments on submarine contract after coming to power. Sarkozy associates in scandal include businessman Nicolas Bazire, who was Ballur’s campaign manr in 1995; and Thierry Gaubert, a former aide to Sarkozy.

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Multiple corruption charges on Sarkozy

Sarkozy has also been facing charges of illegally financing his 2012 re-election campaign. former president was accused of hiding cost of his re-election campaign with help of a public relations firm. 64-year-old is facing multiple corruption charges since he left office in 2012.

According to preliminary charges, Sarkozy was accused of taking millions from n Libyan dictator Muammar Gdafi. Sarkozy was also accused of illegally obtaining information from a magistrate about ar investigation. He was suspected of a quid pro quo with magistrate promising him a job in exchange of information on investigation involving him. quid pro quo was for investigation in alleged illegal financing for 2007 presidential campaign.

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(With ncy inputs)