PARIS (AP) — Prosecutors have asked a French court to send a former French budget minister to prison for tax fraud and to set an example of a necessary fight against a "world plague."

The two-week trial of Jerome Cahuzac on charges of tax fraud and money laundering ended Thursday in a Paris court. The judge set a December 8 date for the verdict.

During closing arguments, France's top financial prosecutor, Eliane Houlette, asked the court to sentence Cahuzac to three years in prison for inflicting a "major harm to France" and "making it the laughing stock of the entire world."

Cahuzac is accused of hiding his wealth in tax havens around the world —while at the same time leading the government's fight against tax evasion.

He was forced to resign in 2013.,