François Fillon, former Prime Minister convicted with his wife in the fictitious jobs affair, offered to pay €700,000 to the National Assembly, according to information from BFMTV. Well, very precisely €689,989.32.
The one who believes that the affair won him the Élysée proposed to spread this sum over the next ten years.
This sum corresponds to the nearest cent to the damages that the right-wing politician was ordered to pay (with his wife Pénélope and his former deputy Marc Joulad) by the Paris Court of Appeal on May 9, 2022 (679,989.32 € + €10,000 in legal costs).
New hearing on November 25
And this proposal does not happen by chance. Because a new hearing is scheduled for November 25, 2024 in this case. Because if the Court of Cassation confirmed the guilt of the Fillon couple on April 24, 2024 for embezzlement of public funds, the sentence imposed at first instance (4 years in prison including a farm equipped with an electronic bracelet) must be (or not) confirmed. The Court of Cassation considers that the Court of Appeal did not sufficiently justify this sentence in 2022.
A source close to the matter, cited by BFMTV, therefore explains that this reimbursement proposal aims to “ To avoid too heavy a sanction, Fillon wants to present himself in his best light. By showing that he understood the facts and finally planned to return the money… »
Reimbursement guarantees under discussion
The conditions for this reimbursement have been in place for several months, according to sources close to the matter and the Fillon couple's lawyer, cited by Franceinfo. They relate in particular to the guarantees to be provided.
The Fillon couple's fictitious jobs affair, also called Penelopegate, was revealed in 2017 by the Chained duck.
