Fillon trial: firm prison and heavy fine required against ex-Prime Minister

Text by: RFI Follow

At the end of a ferocious indictment against "greed" and "cynicism" of François Fillon, the national financial prosecutor asked this Tuesday, March 10, five years in prison, including two closed, against the former Prime Minister, considering that his wife Penelope's jobs were "fictitious".

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After more than four hours of an indictment in two voices before the criminal court, one of the two prosecutors of the national financial parquet, Aurélien Létocart, called on the criminal court to render " a decision commensurate with legitimate exemplarity expected from a pretender to the supreme magistracy ”.

Denouncing the " deep feeling of impunity " of the former right-wing champion in the 2017 presidential election, the " cynicism " " of a man who made probity a trademark ", the prosecution also asked against François Fillon, retired from politics, 375,000 euros fine and ten years of ineligibility.

Three-year suspended sentence required against Penelope Fillon

Against Penelope Fillon, " victim in a way consenting to the acts of her husband ", three years suspended sentence and the same maximum fine were required. She had received 613,000 euros of public money for three parliamentary assistant contracts between 1998 and 2013, with her deputy husband and his deputy in Sarthe, Marc Joulaud. Prosecutors finally requested a two-year suspended sentence and a 20,000-euro fine against Marc Joulaud, current mayor of Sablé-sur-Sarthe in the campaign for his re-election.

In the afternoon, Aurélien Létocart had for a long time shelled what constitutes for the PNF the proofs of the “ fictitious and artificial nature ” of Penelope Fillon's activities in the main part of the trial: the suspicions of embezzlement of public funds surrounding his jobs in parliamentary collaborator.

Work so " intangible, disembodied " that Penelope Fillon did not take maternity leave or paid leave, that " no trace " was found of the memos and files that she was supposed to prepare for her husband and that she is " unable ”to give specific examples. " To attribute a professional character to the least of his activities, even the most trivial such as bringing mail or chatting with people while shopping is in bad faith, " said the prosecutor.

(With AFP)

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