France

The son of ex-French President Francois Mitterrand and an ex-government minister have been convicted for their roles in illegal arms sales to Angola. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand was given a two-year suspended sentence, and ex-Interior Minister Charles Pasqua was jailed for one year by the Paris court. They were convicted of accepting bribes to facilitate arms deals to Angola in 1993-98, in breach of French law. Two key figures were sentenced to six years each in their absence. Prosecutors accused Israeli-Russian billionaire Arkady Gaydamak and French magnate Pierre Falcone of being the key figures in the arms trafficking worth USD 790 million. (BBC)