One of the most famous Hungarians in France is facing prison time

71-year-old Patrick Balkany and his family are facing prison time due to aggravated tax fraud. He could spend 10 years in prison if found guilty, as the family “forgot” to pay 13 million Euros in taxes.

As Hvg reports, Patrick Balkany’s parents emigrated from Hungary to France. He was born in France, but he is of Hungarian, Latvian and Ukrainian origins. He became a successful politician.

Balkany has been the Mayor of a little town near Paris called Levallois-Perret for 36 years, and he is planning to run again in 2020.

The family is also very close to another famous French politician with Hungarian origins: Nicolas Sarkozy, who served as President of France between 2007 and 2012.

Balkany could face almost a decade in prison for evading at least 13 million Euros in taxes.

Balkany and his family are accused not only of tax evasion but also of money laundering, concealing habitual aggravated tax fraud, passive corruption and illegal taking of interests. The family moved their money to offshore accounts in Panama and Seychelles, and they also had bank accounts in Singapore and Lichtenstein. The case against them is the end result of a five-year-long investigation. Balkany has long been suspected of being deeply involved in corruption.