Cincunri Sakia

Senin, 01 Maret 2021

Nicolas Sarkozy: Former French president found guilty of corruption and sentenced to prison - Sky News

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been handed a one-year prison term and two-year suspended sentence after being found guilty of corruption and influence peddling.

The 66-year-old was convicted by a court in Paris on Monday for having tried to illegally obtain information from a senior magistrate in 2014 about a legal action in which he was involved.

The court said Sarkozy will be entitled to request to be detained at home with an electronic bracelet, meaning he is unlikely to go to jail.

The trial at the end of last year heard how the former politician, who was president from 2007 to 2012, forged a "corruption pact" with his lawyer Thierry Herzog, 65, and senior magistrate Gilbert Azibert, 74.

The trial focused on phone conversations that took place in February 2014. At the time, investigative judges had launched an inquiry into the financing of the 2007 presidential campaign.

During the investigation, they incidentally discovered that Sarkozy and Herzog were communicating via secret mobile phones registered to the alias "Paul Bismuth".

According to wiretapped conversations, Sarkozy instructed Herzog to promise Azibert a job in Monaco in exchange for leaking information about another legal case in which he was involved.

The court said the facts were "particularly serious" given that they were committed by a former president who used his status to help a magistrate who had served his personal interest.

In addition, as a former lawyer, he was "perfectly informed" about committing an illegal action, the court said.

Sarkozy's two co-defendants - Herzog and Azibert - were also found guilty and given the same sentence.

This is the first time in France's modern history that a former president has gone on trial for corruption.

Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was found guilty in 2011 of misuse of public money and given a two-year suspended prison sentence for actions during his time as Paris mayor, but he did not end up having to appear in court because of ill health.

Sarkozy will face another trial later this month along with 13 other people on charges of illegal financing of his 2012 presidential campaign.

His party is suspected of having spent 42.8m euros, almost twice the maximum authorised, to finance the campaign, which ended in victory for Francois Hollande.

In another investigation opened in 2013, Sarkozy is accused of having taken millions from then-Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi to illegally finance his 2007 campaign.

He was handed preliminary charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of stolen assets from Libya and criminal association. He has denied wrongdoing.

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2021-03-01 14:26:17Z
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Sarkozy: Former French president sentenced to jail for corruption - BBC News

French ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy in court building, 10 Dec 20

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to three years in jail - two of them suspended - for corruption.

Sarkozy, 66, was found guilty of trying to bribe a magistrate by offering a prestigious job in Monaco in return for information about a criminal inquiry into his political party.

The magistrate, Gilbert Azibert, and Sarkozy's former lawyer, Thierry Herzog, got the same sentence.

Sarkozy can serve the term at home.

In the ruling, the judge in Paris said Sarkozy could serve a year at home with an electronic tag, rather than go to prison. The ex-president is expected to appeal.

Sarkozy "knew what [he] was doing was wrong", the judge said, adding that his actions and those of Herzog had given the public "a very bad image of justice".

The crimes were specified as influence-peddling and violation of professional secrecy.

It is a legal landmark for post-war France. The only precedent was the trial of Sarkozy's right-wing predecessor Jacques Chirac, who got a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 for having arranged bogus jobs at Paris City Hall for political allies when he was Paris mayor. Chirac died in 2019.

Prosecutors sought a four-year jail sentence for Sarkozy, half of which would be suspended.

The case centred on conversations between Azibert and Herzog, which were taped by investigators looking into claims that Sarkozy accepted illicit payments from the L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt for his 2007 presidential campaign.

The phone line they tapped was a secret number set up in a fictional name, Paul Bismuth, through which Sarkozy communicated with his lawyer.

Sarkozy is also due to go on trial in a separate case, from 17 March to 15 April, which relates to the so-called Bygmalion affair. Sarkozy is accused of having fraudulently overspent in his 2012 presidential campaign. He had served as president since 2007 - but his 2012 re-election bid was unsuccessful.

Despite his legal entanglements Sarkozy has remained popular in right-wing circles, a year away from a presidential election.

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2021-03-01 13:41:08Z
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Sarkozy: Former French president sentenced to jail for corruption - BBC News

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and two former associates have been sentenced to three years in jail - two of them suspended - for corruption.

Sarkozy, 66, was found guilty of trying to bribe a magistrate, Gilbert Azibert, by offering a prestigious job in Monaco in return for information about a criminal inquiry into his political party.

Sarkozy's ex-lawyer Thierry Herzog and Azibert got the same sentence.

Sarkozy can serve the term at home.

In the ruling, the judge said Sarkozy could serve house arrest with an electronic tag. The ex-president is expected to appeal.

Prosecutors sought a four-year jail sentence for Sarkozy, half of which would be suspended.

Nonetheless, he remains popular in right-wing circles, a year away from a presidential election.

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PM Narendra Modi gets Covid jab as India scales up vaccination - BBC News

Indian PM Narendra Modi received the first dose the Covid-19 vaccine on Monday

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received the coronavirus jab as the country opened its vaccination programme for the wider population.

India launched its vaccination drive on 16 January, but it was limited to healthcare workers and frontline staff.

Now, people over 60 and those who are between 45 and 59 but have other illnesses can get vaccinated.

State-run hospitals will offer free jabs but people can also pay at private facilities to get vaccinated.

Covid pandemic: Live updates

Mr Modi, who's 70 years old, was among the first to get his vaccine shot on Monday. He was administered a jab of Covaxin, an indigenously developed vaccine.

After receiving the jab, he took to Twitter, urging people to take the vaccine when their turn came.

"Took my first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at Aiims [hospital]. Remarkable how our doctors and scientists have worked in quick time to strengthen the global fight against Covid-19. I appeal to all those who are eligible to take the vaccine. Together, let us make India Covid-19 free," he tweeted.

The government aims to cover 300 million "priority people" by the end of July.

But the pace of vaccination has been slow - so far only 14 million doses have been given and experts say unless the drive is scaled up, the target could be missed.

The country's drugs regulator has given the green light to two vaccines - one developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University (Covishield) and one by Indian firm Bharat Biotech (Covaxin).

Several others candidates are at different stages of trials. Officials have said they hoped to use a "bouquet of vaccines" to speed up the vaccination drive in the coming months.

Since the pandemic began, India has confirmed more than 11 million cases and over 157,000 deaths.

Much of India has reported a sharp fall in cases recently - with daily infections for the county falling to less than 20,000 from a peak of over 90,000 in September.

But a handful of states have recently reported a sharp uptick in the number of cases.

Experts have blamed "carelessness" in following Covid safety norms behind the rise. Some have also said that new variants could also be the reason behind the surge but is it's yet to be proven.

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2021-03-01 09:43:03Z
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Khashoggi: Journalist's fiancée demands 'punishment' for Saudi prince - BBC News

The fiancée of the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has called for Saudi Arabia's crown prince to be "punished without delay" over his killing.

"This will not only bring the justice we have been seeking.... but it could also prevent similar acts recurring," Hatice Cengiz said in a statement.

It comes after a US intelligence report found that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved Khashoggi's murder.

Saudi Arabia has rejected the report.

Crown Prince Mohammed, who is effectively the kingdom's ruler, has denied any role in the murder.

Khashoggi was killed while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2018 and his body was dismembered.

The 59-year-old journalist had once been an adviser to the Saudi government and close to the royal family, but he fell out of favour and went into self-imposed exile in the US in 2017.

From there, he wrote a monthly column in the Washington Post in which he criticised the policies of Prince Mohammed.

In his first column for the newspaper, Khashoggi said he feared being arrested in an apparent crackdown on dissent overseen by the prince.

What did Hatice Cengiz say?

"It is essential that the crown prince, who ordered the brutal murder of a blameless and innocent person, should be punished without delay," Ms Cengiz said on Monday.

"If the crown prince is not punished, it will forever... endanger us all and be a stain on our humanity," she added.

Ms Cengiz, a Turkish academic researcher, made a plea that world leaders distance themselves from the crown prince and impose punishments such as sanctions on Saudi Arabia.

"Starting with the Biden Administration, it is vital for all world leaders to ask themselves if they are prepared to shake hands with [Prince Mohammed]," she said.

"I urge everyone to put their hands on their hearts and campaign to punish the crown prince," Ms Cengiz added.

Composite picture of President Biden and King Salman

US President Joe Biden has faced criticism from within his own Democratic Party over his decision not to punish Prince Mohammed directly.

After the intelligence report was released on Friday, his administration imposed sanctions on a senior aide to the prince as well as others who it said had played a role in Khashoggi's death.

"I think they need to keep open additional sanctions against [Prince Mohammed] if we don't see a change in behaviour," Democratic Senator Mark Warner, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Fox News on Sunday.

Republican members of Congress have also called on Mr Biden to impose further sanctions. His administration is expected to make an announcement later on Monday.

President Biden spoke to Saudi Arabia's King Salman last week and "affirmed the importance the United States places on universal human rights and the rule of law", the White House said.

What happened to Khashoggi?

The journalist, who was known for his criticism of the Saudi authorities, went to the consulate in October 2018 in order to obtain papers allowing him to marry Ms Cengiz.

He had allegedly received assurances from the crown prince's brother, Prince Khalid bin Salman, who was ambassador to the US at the time, that it would be safe to visit the consulate. Prince Khalid has denied any communication with the journalist.

According to Saudi prosecutors, Khashoggi was forcibly restrained after a struggle and injected with a large amount of a drug, resulting in an overdose that led to his death. His body was then dismembered and handed over to a local "collaborator" outside the consulate, prosecutors said. The remains were never found.

Grim details were revealed in transcripts of purported audio recordings of the killing obtained by Turkish intelligence.

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2021-03-01 09:12:11Z
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Myanmar coup: Court files fresh charges against Aung San Suu Kyi after 18 killed in protests - Sky News

A Myanmar court has filed fresh charges against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, her lawyer has said, as protesters marched in defiance of a crackdown by security forces.

The leader of the National League for Democracy appeared via video link for a court hearing on Monday.

An additional charge of prohibiting the publication of information that may "cause fear or alarm" or disrupt "public tranquillity" was added to those filed against her after a coup a month ago, her lawyer Min Min Soe told Reuters.

Another charge relating to her alleged ownership of walkie-talkies was added under a telecommunications law, the lawyer said, taking the total number of charges against her to four.

As the court hearing took place, police in the city of Yangon used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse protesters, witnesses said, a day after the worst violence since the coup.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties on Monday but the previous day, police opened fire on crowds in various parts of the country killing 18 people - the highest single-day death toll to date.

The UN Human Rights office said they "strongly condemn the escalating violence" and called on the military to "immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protestors."

About 1,000 people are believed to have been detained. The military has not commented on Sunday's violence.

The UK has described the "deadly and escalating" violence against demonstrators as "abhorrent".

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan issued a statement saying the US is "alarmed" by the violence and stands in solidarity with protesters "who continue to bravely voice their aspirations for democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights".

Washington has imposed sanctions on Myanmar because of the coup, and Mr Sullivan said it would "impose further costs on those responsible", promising details "in the coming days".

Ms Suu Kyi has not been seen in public since her government was ousted in a military coup on 1 February and she was detained, along with other party leaders.

The 75-year-old was initially charged with illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios but later, a charge of violating a natural disaster law by breaching coronavirus protocols was added.

The next court hearing will be on 15 March.

If she is convicted, the charges against her could provide a legal way of barring her from running in the election the junta has promised in a year's time. She also faces a prison sentence.

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2021-03-01 08:41:03Z
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