The trial of former Prime Minister François Fillon, his wife Pénélope and his former deputy Marc Joulaud opened on Monday before the Paris Criminal Court. The start of the proceedings was immediately postponed until Wednesday, in support of the lawyers' strike against the pension reform.
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A cloud of cameras
The Fillon spouses appear on suspicion of fictitious jobs which would have benefited Pénélope Fillon. They arrived at the court shortly after 1 p.m. in a cloud of cameras, without making a statement. François Fillon, a dark suit, and his wife Penelope, a black tailor, medium length white hair and thin glasses, took their places side by side in the front row of the room. Marc Joulaud, the former deputy for François Fillon in the National Assembly, moved to their side after shaking their hand. All quickly left.
#Fillon after an express suspension the court grants the request for referral. Resumed Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. With the examination of the priority questions of constitutionality.
- Salomé Legrand (@Salome_L) February 24, 2020The hearing began at 1.30 pm with the examination of this request for referral, formulated jointly by the defense lawyers, in "sympathy" with the lawyers on strike. They also blocked the court for several hours Monday morning.
Lawyers will plead for release
The trial will resume at 1.30 p.m. Wednesday, the second scheduled hearing day. The three defendants face ten years' imprisonment, heavy fines and ineligibility. Their lawyers will plead for release.
After a campaign phagocytized by this affair, François Fillon, 65, had left politics on his bitter failure in the first round of the presidential election, on April 23, 2017. Converted into finance, he ensures that "the proofs" of the reality of the work of his wife "will be brought".