François Fillon wants to “return the money” and offers 700,000 euros: “This is to be welcomed”

Convicted of embezzlement of public funds for the fictitious employment of his wife Penelope as a parliamentary assistant, François Fillon will “return the money”. The former Prime Minister proposed to the National Assembly a procedure for the payment of just under 700,000 euros over 10 years.

He's going to “return the money.” Former Prime Minister François Fillon, convicted on appeal in May 2022 for embezzlement of public funds for the fictitious employment of his wife Pénélope as a parliamentary assistant, proposes to reimburse 700,000 euros over 10 years to the National Assembly.

According to BFMTV, the unsuccessful Republican candidate in the 2017 presidential election, whose conviction was confirmed last March by the Court of Cassation, sent a memorandum of understanding to the National Assembly for the payment of 689,989.32 euros over 10 years.

This sum represents the damages that François Fillon was “jointly” ordered to pay to the National Assembly, with his wife Penelope and his former deputy Marc Joulaud, to which are added 10,000 euros in legal costs.

“We cannot blame him for taking this step”

“We criticized the offense he committed, it was undoubtedly characterized, we cannot blame him for taking this step and 'returning the money'”, noted this Wednesday on the set of Big Mouths lawyer Charles Consigny, former LR candidate for the legislative elections in 2022.

“I think it is to be welcomed,” he continues, believing that the decision of the former Prime Minister should inspire others: “If all the people convicted of embezzlement linked to financial issues made this “that approach, we would be in a more civic country”, adds Charles Consigny on RMC and RMC Story.

A final meeting with justice to come

François Fillon is not quite finished with justice. If he has been definitively convicted of embezzlement of public funds, he must return to court for a new trial which must take place on November 25 “to redefine the sentence” of the former presidential candidate.

“And to avoid too heavy a sentence, François Fillon wants to present himself in his best light, showing that he has understood the facts and that he has finally planned to return the money,” a close source assures BFMTV. of the file.