The prison sentence of former French government leader François Fillon was reduced on Monday on appeal from five years, three of which are conditional, to four years, three of which are conditional. This is reported by news agencies Reuters and AFP. The politician was convicted two years ago for embezzling more than 1 million euros. His wife Penelope Fillon got that money for work she never did.
A fine of 375,000 euros that each of them must pay according to a previous conviction from 2020 remains in place. Penelope Fillon was previously sentenced to three years in prison, which was reduced to two years on Monday. On paper, she was her husband’s assistant from 1998 to 2013, but did not perform the work, according to the judge. The 1 million euros that was transferred to her as wages was therefore a form of embezzlement.
Presidential elections
The affair came to light in the French media in 2017 while Fillon was running for the presidency as a conservative candidate. He led the polls, but after ‘Penelopegate’ his political career came to an end. He previously served as Prime Minister under President Nicolas Sarkozy from 2007 to 2012. Fillon’s demise in the presidential election allowed Emmanuel Macron, the current French head of state, to win the most votes.
The Fillon couple has always denied the allegations against them. They claim to be the victims of a conspiracy. The couple was not present at the verdict.
Also read: ‘Simple’ wife of Fillon turns out to be a well-paid assistant
Correction May 9, 2022: An earlier version of this article stated that Fillon had been given a one-year suspended prison sentence. That was supposed to be three years and has been adjusted above.