Former Prime Minister François Fillon has decided to once again challenge his conviction in the case of his wife Penelope's fictitious employment. He has filed an appeal against the decision handed down by the Paris Court of Appeal on June 17, following a third trial in the case. The 71-year-old former head of government continues to fight the sanctions imposed on him since the scandal broke in 2017.
A revised but maintained sentence
In this latest trial, François Fillon was sentenced to four years in prison, fully suspended, a fine of €375, and five years of ineligibility. This decision, more lenient than the previous one, allows him to avoid imprisonment under an electronic tag. In 000, he was sentenced to four years in prison, including one year in prison, along with the same fine and a ten-year ineligibility period.
A guilt that is now definitive
In 2024, the Court of Cassation partially overturned the 2022 ruling, finding that the judges' reasoning on the sentence was insufficiently reasoned. It ordered a new trial limited to a reassessment of the sentence, as François Fillon's guilt was now considered established, notably for embezzlement of public funds and misuse of corporate assets. The appeal currently pending therefore does not challenge the facts alleged but aims solely to contest the severity of the penalties.
Penelope Fillon also concerned
Penelope Fillon, for her part, was only involved in this third trial for damages. Her own sentence, a two-year suspended prison sentence and a €375 fine, has been final since last year. However, she has filed an appeal limited to the issue of civil compensation, contesting the amount of money the couple must repay.
The so-called "Penelopegate" affair, revealed in the midst of the 2017 presidential campaign, had a profound impact on French politics. François Fillon, then the front-runner in the election, saw his campaign collapse under the weight of the revelations and the opening of an investigation. Eight years later, the legal saga continues, this time before France's highest court, which will once again have to decide the fate of the former Prime Minister in the coming months.
