Many Americans were shocked when Donald Trump became the first former U.S. president to be charged with a crime.  

Now he faces a possible third indictment for his role in attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Many might think it's extremely rare for an elected leader to come under criminal investigation, let alone run for office again. 

The possibility is more common than one might think. 

Since 2000, leaders in at least 50 countries considered to be democratic have been charged with serious crimes. A large number of these indicted politicians have gone on to participate in elections, a Foreign Policy analysis found.

Current Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has been charged with corruption and is currently on trial as he leads the country.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted of bribery and influence peddling in two separate cases in 2021 and sentenced to three years in prison, two of which were suspended.

Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun was charged with corruption and acknowledged his relatives had received $6 million from a business person while he was in office.  Roh later died by suicide.

Former President of South Korea Lee Myung-bak was sentenced to 17 years in prison on corruption convictions for taking bribes from large companies. He was pardoned by current President Yoon Suk-yeol. Another former South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, was convicted of bribery and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Park also received a pardon.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested and charged with selling state gifts while in office and not disclosing the assets, charges he denies.

Argentina's current vice president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was convicted of fraud and remains in office due to the immunity her position carries. She is appealing the charges.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was convicted of corruption and is currently incarcerated.

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud and temporarily barred from seeking office. Berlusconi died in June. 

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro is on trial and charged with abuse of political power and misuse of public media for allegedly spreading false information about Brazil's electoral system.  If found guilty he faces eight years in prison and could be barred from running for office.

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