France’s Court of Cassation affirmed the conviction of former Prime Minister Francois Fillon in a scandal involving fictitious employment that derailed his 2017 presidential campaign. However, it ordered a retrial for his sentencing. Fillon, aged 70, was initially sentenced on May 9, 2022, to four years in prison, with three years suspended, and a fine of 375,000 euros ($400,000).
The new sentencing trial is scheduled to take place in the upcoming months at the Paris Court of Appeal. Fillon, a conservative politician, was found guilty of arranging a bogus parliamentary assistant position for his wife, Penelope Fillon, resulting in her receiving millions of euros in public funds.
At the 2022 appeal trial, she received a suspended two-year prison sentence for embezzlement and was instructed to pay an identical fine to her husband. Additionally, they were both mandated to reimburse 800,000 euros to the lower-house National Assembly, which had reimbursed Penelope Fillon for her purported role as her husband’s assistant.
According to French sentencing norms, it is improbable that Fillon will serve any time in prison. Alternatively, he may be required to wear an ankle bracelet.