Former French PM Fillon Sentenced Four-Year Suspended Prison Embezzlement

Former French Prime Minister François Fillon was sentenced to a four-year suspended prison term, fined €375,000, and barred from seeking public office for five years due to a fake jobs scandal involving his wife, Penelope Fillon, who was paid from public funds despite not performing any parliamentary work. This verdict, delivered after a third trial ordered by France's highest appeals court, is a reduction from the 2022 sentence that included a one-year prison term without suspension. Penelope Fillon received a two-year suspended sentence with the same fine. The scandal, known as 'PenelopeGate,' severely damaged Fillon's 2017 presidential campaign and contributed to his early elimination from the race. Fillon has maintained that such fake parliamentary jobs were widespread and claimed the legal treatment he received was unfair, suggesting political motivations behind the prosecution. The court also confirmed the repayment of damages to the National Assembly, reflecting the fraudulent nature of the employment contracts.