Trump is first convicted former US president. Which other democracies convicted ex-leaders?

Former President Donald Trump’s felony convictions Thursday marked the first time in U.S. history that an ex-president was convicted of a crime, sending shockwaves from the marbled halls of power to the dinner tables of everyday voters. While it’s a stunning development for Americans, citizens of more than a half-dozen democracies worldwide likely have a more muted reaction: been there, done that.

More: Who else from the White House has faced criminal investigation?

In the 21st century alone, more than a dozen democracies have either convicted or indicted their ex-leaders, most of them presidents but also including prime ministers. A handful of liberal democracies — Argentina, France, and South Korea — have convicted more than one former president and, in one instance, convicted the same leader twice.

Here’s a list of 10 democracies that have brought charges against their former leaders in recent years:

Argentina

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, former president and vice president of Argentina, was convicted of fraud in 2022, sentenced to six years in prison, and is banned from holding political office. She was president from 2007 to 2015 and vice president from 2019 to 2023.

Brazil

The current Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who also led the country from 2003 to 2010, was convicted in 2017 on charges of money laundering and corruption. The conviction was overturned in 2021, opening the door to running for president again and unseating former President Jair Bolsonaro in 2022.

Croatia

Former Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader was found guilty of corruption in 2020 and sentenced to eight years in prison, and is currently serving out his term behind bars.

France

In France, whose constitutional preamble is inspired by the American Declaration of Independence and has long been one of the United States’s closest allies, not one but two former presidents have faced criminal charges. They are Presidents Jacques Chirac, who was in office from 1995 to 2007, and Nicolas Sarkozy, president from 2007 to 2012.

Chirac was convicted of corruption in 2011 and given a two-year suspended jail sentence. A decade later, former President Sarkozy was convicted of corruption in 2011 and also given a suspended jail sentence. However, a few years later, Sarkozy faced another set of charges—this time over allegedly hiding illegal overspending during his 2012 campaign. In February, a French appeal court confirmed the conviction, handing down a six-month jail sentence.

Israel

Former president Moshe Katsav, in office from 2000 to 2007, was convicted in 2011 of rape and served five years of a seven-year jail sentence. He was released in 2016 at the age of 71.

Israel’s prime minister between 2006 and 2009, Ehud Olmert, was convicted of fraud in 2016 and was released from prison early in 2017. Meanwhile, current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 for a series of charges, including fraud and bribery. His trial is ongoing.

Italy

Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi served in office three separate times over four governments between 1994 and 2011. He amassed more than two dozen criminal charges over the years, becoming one of Europe’s most scandalous political figures. He largely avoided punishment after a series of acquittals, including on charges of paying for sex with a minor, tax evasion, corruption and bribery.

Portugal

The coastal nation’s former prime minister, José Sócrates, was indicted on corruption charges in 2017, encompassing tax fraud, bribery, money laundering. Some of the larger corruption charges were dismissed in 2021.

Romania

Prime Minister Adrian Nastase served in office from 2000 to 2004, and has faced two convictions and two jail sentences over corruption. He was released from jail early both times, most recently in 2014.

South Africa

Former South African president Jacob Zuma is entangled in an ongoing corruption trial over money laundering and racketeering charges. The 2021 charges allege Zuma accepted hundreds of bribes before becoming president, including cash from a French arms dealer. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for mid-August, with a trial not expected until April 2025.

South Korea

In the past ten years, South Korea has convicted two former presidents: Lee Myung-bak, in office from 2008 to 2013, and his successor, the nation’s first woman president, Park Geun-hye, in office from 2013 to 2017. Both were convicted on corruption charges but have since been pardoned.

Taiwan

Former President Chen Shui-bian ran the country from 2000 to 2008, and the year after he left office, he was charged with bribery, money laundering, and embezzlement. In 2015, he was released from prison for medical reasons.

The list goes on

Several other nations with either teetering democracies or semi-democratic systems have indicted or charged former leaders in recent years, including Ecuador, Malaysia and North Macedonia. Ex-leaders of several countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, Philippines and Taiwan who once faced prosecution have been acquitted or seen their charges dropped.

Kathryn Palmer is an elections fellow for USA TODAY. Reach her at kapalmer@gannett.com and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Trump may be first convicted US president, but it's not a global first