Seven to stand trial over French fake politician scam

PARIS: French judges have ordered a trial for seven people accused of orchestrating an audacious scam to trick rich targets out of millions of euros by impersonating of one of France’s top politicians. Armed with a silicone mask and plenty of nerve, the suspects sought to convince business chiefs, heads of state and other high-profile prey that they were speaking to Jean-Yves Le Drian, currently the foreign minister. Two Franco-Israeli suspects, Gilbert Chikli and Anthony Lasarevitsch, are thought to be the masterminds of the group facing trial for fraud, under a ruling by investigative magistrates seen by AFP. The pair were arrested in Ukraine in August 2017, two years after Chikli was convicted in absentia in France to seven years in prison for “fake CEO” scams in 2005 and 2006.