Former French Naval Commando Sentenced for Illegal Arms Sales to African Nations

The Caen Criminal Court had sentenced, on October 22, 2019, a former naval commando to 3 years of suspended imprisonment, a €50,000 fine, a 15-year ban on engaging in a commercial profession, and a 5-year ban on possessing a weapon.

The 52-year-old man, who managed two companies in Caen (Calvados), had turned to the sale of war weapons to Mauritania, Morocco and Congo. "It was my way of continuing to fight against terrorism," he defended himself. In the meantime, he had resold a thriving company at a profit.

He had appealed the decision handed down on October 22, 2019. He had then appeared on January 8 last. The Caen resident had not received authorization to sell weapons. He explained that he had difficulty following a complex regulation and claims to have made no illegal profit.

On February 19 last, the verdict was handed down: the judge reduced his sentence to 18 months of suspended imprisonment and reduced his ban on managing a company to 3 years.