Fraudsters who impersonated French President Macron's senior ally jailed after trial

Two fraudsters who impersonated a senior ally of the French President Emmanuel Macron, have been sentenced jail by a courtroom in Paris.

Franco-Israelis Gilbert Chikli and Anthony Lasarevitsch tricked wealthy people out of more than €55 million.

They conned their victims by donning a silicone mask and by impersonating Jean-Yves Le Drian, a senior ally of the French President Emmanuel Macron.

They denied fraud and usurping Le Drian's identity but were found guilty.

Chikli was jailed for 11 years and fined €2 million while Lasarevitsch received a seven-year sentence and a fine of €1 million.

According to the prosecutors, in meetings arranged on Skype, one of the fraudsters used to wear a custom-made Le Drian mask and sit in a facsimile of Mr Le Drian's ministerial office along with flags and a portrait of then-President François Hollande.

They would ask politicians and prominent business leaders to part with money for ransom payments to hostage-takers or for anti-terror operations.

Previously, the prosecutors had asked for sentences of 10 and 14 years for two alleged fraudsters in the bizarre scam that took place from 2015-2016 when Le Drian was defence minister.

Le Drian became the foreign minister of France in 2017 after serving five years as the defence minister.