François Fillon’s trial has been postponed to April 29, 2025, due to the hospitalization of one of his lawyers. This trial will reassess sanctions related to fictitious jobs held by his wife, Penelope Fillon. Following a conviction in 2022, Fillon faces a four-year sentence, fines, and ineligibility. The scandal, which began in 2017 with allegations of embezzlement, severely impacted his presidential campaign, leading to multiple convictions for him and his associates.
Trial Postponement for François Fillon
The Paris Court of Appeal has made the decision to delay the trial of François Fillon until April 29, 2025. This trial will focus on the review of sanctions previously imposed on him concerning the case of fictitious jobs held by his wife, Penelope Fillon. The postponement comes in light of the hospitalization of one of Fillon’s lawyers. Following a definitive conviction by the Court of Cassation last April, the 70-year-old Fillon is set to have his prison sentences, fines, and ineligibility reassessed during this upcoming hearing. This scandal, which first broke in January 2017 thanks to revelations from a satirical newspaper, ultimately derailed his presidential campaign.
Background of the Case and Legal Consequences
On May 9, 2022, Fillon faced a four-year prison sentence during his appeal trial, which included one year of actual incarceration, a hefty fine of 375,000 euros, and a decade of ineligibility for embezzling public funds. His wife, Penelope Fillon, received a suspended two-year prison sentence, along with the same fine and two years of ineligibility. Their former representative, Marc Joulaud, was sentenced to three years in prison (suspended) and five years of ineligibility. Collectively, all three were ordered to pay around 800,000 euros in damages to the National Assembly.
While the Court of Cassation upheld the penalties against Penelope Fillon and Marc Joulaud, it found that Fillon’s one-year prison sentence lacked adequate justification. Moreover, it reduced the damages related to Penelope Fillon’s parliamentary assistant contract from 2012-2013, acknowledging that she had indeed performed some of the assigned tasks. This case remains a significant point of discussion regarding integrity within political circles in France.
The scandal began when *Le Canard enchaîné* reported on January 25, 2017, that Penelope Fillon had allegedly received considerable payment for a fictitious role as her husband’s parliamentary assistant, totaling approximately 500,000 euros between 1998 and 2007. Additionally, she reportedly earned 100,000 euros as a literary advisor for a magazine associated with a friend of Fillon’s during his electoral campaign.
In response to the allegations, the national financial prosecutor’s office launched an investigation in January 2017 for embezzlement of public funds, among other charges. François Fillon denied all allegations and expressed hope that the investigation would put an end to what he described as a smear campaign. Following this, searches were conducted at the National Assembly and the Senate, revealing that Penelope Fillon’s total compensation for her work reached 831,440 euros gross. As the scandal progressed, Fillon’s popularity plummeted, ultimately leading to his elimination in the first round of the presidential election.
The initial trial commenced in February 2020, resulting in a guilty verdict on June 29 for both François and Penelope Fillon, alongside Marc Joulaud. Fillon received a five-year prison sentence (two years actual), a fine of 375,000 euros, and a ten-year ineligibility period, while Penelope was handed a suspended three-year sentence, a 275,000 euro fine, and two years of ineligibility. All three were instructed to repay over one million euros to the National Assembly for their involvement in the embezzlement of public funds.
François Fillon defended himself, claiming he was not a fictitious deputy motivated by financial gain and lamented that decades of dedication were overshadowed by a single article in a satirical publication. On May 9, 2022, the Paris Court of Appeal adjusted Fillon’s sentence to four years, including one year in prison, while Penelope’s sentence was modified to two years suspended, and Marc Joulaud maintained a three-year suspended sentence. They collectively announced plans to appeal to the Court of Cassation, citing concerns about the separation of powers and procedural fairness.