The Paris court of appeal sentenced ex-French Prime Minister Francois Fillon to one year in prison in the case of fictitious employment, French media reported on Monday
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2022) The Paris court of appeal sentenced ex-French Prime Minister Francois Fillon to one year in prison in the case of fictitious employment, French media reported on Monday.
The court also found Fillon guilty of embezzlement of public funds, complicity, and concealment of the misuse of corporate assets, French broadcaster BFMTV reported.
The court upheld the conviction against Fillon for giving his wife Penelope a fake job as his assistant while he was a member of parliament but slashed his prison sentence to four years with three suspended. Penelope was given a two-year suspended sentence, and they were both fined 375,000 Euros ($396,000).
Fillons' defense team said they will appeal the ruling because the court only drew conclusions from one of Penelope's three employment contracts dating back to 1998-2002 and not those covering 2002-2013.
"This question, the important legal issues related to the separation of powers, the unfair conduct of this procedure and the acquisition of prescription must be analyzed by the Court of Cassation," the statement read.
The fake-job scandal, dubbed "Penelopegate," broke out in 2017 and eventually wrecked right-wing Fillon's presidency campaign, allowing centrist Emmanuel Macron to win.
