France: Paris power couple given jail terms for money laundering

Patrick Balkany, the longtime mayor of Levallois-Perret and a veteran player in right-wing politics, had already been jailed last month for hiding millions of euros’ worth of assets from the tax authorities.

His wife, deputy mayor Isabelle Balkany, had also been convicted of tax fraud but was not taken into custody, after a recent suicide attempt. The pair, who are close friends of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, has appealed those convictions.