This article seeks to address top 10 ex-convicts who later became president of their nation.
While it easily can be argued that they are all not saints, the sacrifice made by these people has to be respected.
These modern-day Josephs, driven by love for their country or ambitions, risked their lives to secure a better future for their people.
Here are ten presidents who rose from prisoners to becoming the leaders of their nations.
1. Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi [India]
The first and only female Prime Minister of India, Indira was the daughter of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. She first served as Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977, before losing her seat to the Janata alliance.
She later won a bye-election in 1978 but was arrested along with her son Sanjay Gandhi by the Janata government on some trumped up charges but was released after the collapse of the Janata coalition.
In 1980, Indira Gandhi once again became Prime Minister but was assassinated by her bodyguards in 1984 for ordering the storming of the Harmandir Sahib as a countermeasure to the Punjab insurgency.