François Fillon affair: why the former Prime Minister wants to return the money and pay nearly 700,000 euros to the Assembly

François Fillon wants to “return the money”. As revealed by BFMTV, the former Prime Minister is in full negotiations to return the sum unduly received thanks to the fictitious parliamentary assistant jobs of his wife, Penelope, at the National Assembly. But how much? According to this information, François Fillon sent a memorandum of understanding providing for the payment of 689,989.32 euros, spread over the next ten years. A figure which would correspond to the damages for which he was “jointly” condemned by the Paris Court of Appeal on May 9, 2022.

Why now?

On April 24, the Court of Cassation confirmed the guilt of François Fillon in this case but it also considered that the sentence had not been sufficiently justified by the Court of Appeal. Consequence: a new trial will open on November 25 to redefine the sentence. He was sentenced to four years in prison, including one year.

Also read:
François Fillon affair: the main dates of the file from his candidacy for the 2017 presidential election to his conviction

The timing of this reimbursement would then not be trivial and would aim to arrive in the best conditions at this new trial. “To be presentable on the day of the ball, you must always remember to take your suit to the dry cleaners before,” one of the Assembly’s negotiators reportedly confided to our colleagues.

Under what conditions?

These negotiations concerning the financial agreement would be mainly linked to the capacity of François Fillon, 70 years old, to be able to assume these payments over ten years. “We cannot guarantee a judgment debt like we can a real estate loan,” explained a source close to the matter to BFMTV. “The only solution would be for the National Assembly to take a mortgage on the Fillon mansion in Sarthe,” she adds, specifying that she would never do so…