Two French journalists were given a one-year suspended prison sentence and a 10,000 euro fine in Paris on Tuesday, found guilty of trying to blackmail the King of Morocco in 2015 by demanding money in return for the non-publication of a book.
The journalists, whose lawyers immediately appealed, denied having made any threat but admitted having made an "ethical error" by accepting a proposal for a financial arrangement from Rabat.
"Where s the blackmail, Mr President?", defended Éric Laurent, former reporter for Radio France and Figaro Magazine and author of numerous books, accused of having demanded 2 million euros to give up publishing embarrassing information.
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