The former mayor of Levallois-Perret, Patrick Balkany, and his wife, Isabelle, lost their appeal Wednesday against a money laundering and tax fraud conviction, reports RFI.
Patrick and Isabelle Balkany, right-wing politicians who for years governed the wealthy Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret, were sentenced to prison terms of five and four years respectively.
But they were not ordered behind bars immediately pending an appeal to France's highest court. Patrick Balkany had been released to house arrest in February because of health problems.
The two had already lost in March an appeal against tax fraud convictions after they were found guilty of using offshore accounts to hide at least 13 million euros in assets from the tax authorities, including luxury villas in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh and in the West Indies.