A former French budget minister has been sentenced for three years for tax fraud
A former French budget minister who led a crackdown on tax evasion has today been jailed for three years for tax fraud.
Jerome Cahuzac, who was a cosmetic surgeon before being appointed by President Francois Hollande in 2012, was found guilty of tax fraud and money laundering, after being accused of hiding money in an offshore bank account.
Cahuzac resigned from his role in 2013, admitting roughly around this time he held around €600,000 (£511,000) in an undeclared account, despite having previously insisted he held no such finances.
The former minister was also booted from the Socialist Party, which he had been a member of since the 1970s.
The incident was something of an embarrassment for Hollande, who had promised to take a harsher stance on tax misdeeds along with too close relationships between politicians and businessmen.
Hollande’s time as President is due to come to an end in 2017, as he has confirmed he will not be running for re-election.