Najib Razak not the only world leader to face court – here are eight politicians sentenced to jail for abusing their power
Members of the public don’t always think very highly of politicians, and that’s especially true when they are convicted criminals. These eight men, from all corners of the globe, misused their power and paid the price
Many world leaders have stepped out of public office and into prison. The reasons vary from corruption, to stealing state funds and embezzlement, to imprisoning and murdering political opponents. Some were ousted in coups, while others were denounced by a successor.
The following men are among the minor and major misusers of power, and have all been handed prison sentences after leaving office.
1. Arnoldo Alemán
Arnoldo Alemán was president of Nicaragua from January 1997 to January 2002.
Named the ninth most corrupt leader in recent history by Transparency International, in 2003 he was sentenced to 20 years for money laundering, embezzlement and corruption. He and his wife wrote off huge hotel bills to government credit cards, including US$68,500 on hotels and handicrafts in India, and US$25,955 for a honeymoon in Italy. He was estimated to have looted US$100 million in state funds. The average income of Nicaraguans is US$430 per year, according to the World Bank.
