Interrupted the day before, the questions to Penelope Fillon resumed this Wednesday at her appeal trial for suspicion of fictitious jobs concerning three parliamentary assistant contracts with her husband (1998-2002 then 2012-2013) and Marc Joulaud (2002). -2007).

François Fillon's wife admitted that she left her husband "the administrative part" of her parliamentary assistant contracts.

But her role, although "discreet", was very real, she repeated.

In the small courtroom of the Paris Court of Appeal, the debates opened on Monday did not have the same frenzy as those of the first trial in February-March 2020, which had resulted, three months later, in the conviction the spouses and the former deputy of François Fillon.

Marc Joulaud, who had worked at the town hall of Sablé-sur-Sarthe, at the general and regional council, then replaced, at 34, François Fillon, appointed minister: Penelope Fillon was to help him set up, assures the couple.

Penelope claims not to have asked for an increase

"When you are asked to quote people to whom you would have introduced Mr. Joulaud, it seems very difficult", notes the president. “Do you have any names, examples today? Penelope Fillon replies having presented him with "mayors" but above all "inhabitants", whom he "absolutely did not know" during "demonstrations" which they were able to attend together.

Between the salary received from her husband and that granted by Marc Joulaud (around 5,000 euros per month), there is an “increase”, underlines Advocate General Bruno Revel.

Did she "negotiate" it?

“No, I have never negotiated or made a salary claim with my husband, nor with Mr. Joulaud,” says Penelope Fillon.

But "it has always been done in accordance with the rules of the National Assembly," she assures us.

At that time, "I think that François considered, with the agreement of Marc Joulaud, that the sum was justified for this work".

François Fillon present at the trial

Over the entire period, she did not take any maternity leave or paid leave, although she was granted leave not taken allowances.

"Didn't that surprise you?"

»Continues the magistrate.

“François had chosen this mode, so I did what I was asked to do, I didn't ask myself any more questions,” she says.

“My employer was François, he knew we were going on vacation since we were going together”.

Straight at the helm, short gray hair and black-rimmed glasses, the 66-year-old Welshwoman responds in a voice tinged with a slight accent.

Not far away, François Fillon remains most of the time sitting with his head down, his hands clasped.

Suspected of fictitious employment as a literary advisor

Penelope Fillon is also being sued for a job as a “literary advisor” in 2012-2013 within La Revue des deux mondes, owned by businessman Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, then a friend of François Fillon. Paid 3,950 euros net, she declares to have written "about fifteen reading notes" - two have been published - and to have made proposals in order to relaunch the magazine which was withering away, before giving up in the face of "the hostility" of the team.

Advocate General Yves Micolet recalls that, two months after signing this contract, she was again hired by her husband as parliamentary assistant. When he asks her if she does not then "have the feeling of betraying Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière" by "combining" these two functions, Penelope Fillon answers in the negative: "Not at all. I thought that the two jobs were compatible, that I would have the time to organize myself (…) ”. “Your contract was for 218 days of work, it represents a lot of investment,” retorts the Advocate General. "I think he worked a lot too, so he would have understood," she defends herself. Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière was convicted in a “plead guilty” procedure in 2018 for abuse of corporate assets, recognizing a partly fictitious contract.

"Fort ball competition" and "medal ceremony"

The defense takes over, questions her at length about the "banquets for the elderly", "ball of fort competition", "medal ceremony" in which she participated.

It was “as a wife and parliamentary assistant,” for “fun and work,” she says.

Her lawyer Me Astrid Mignon Colombet quotes one by one of the requests for intervention received by mail on which Penelope Fillon claims to have worked in connection with her husband's team - a transfer aid for a police officer in the Sarthe or even beatings inch for a job.

"My role was to respect people, their problems, to try to help them, to be at their service", argues the one who is today as a simple municipal councilor of Solesmes - "apolitical", she specifies.

The trial will resume Monday afternoon with the questioning of François Fillon.

Justice

At his trial, François Fillon denounces "forty years of political commitment erased by a prosecution"

Justice

Fillon trial: "I sometimes felt humiliated ..." The Fillon couple contest their conviction

  • Fraud

  • Trial

  • Fictitious employment

  • Fillon trial

  • Court of Appeal

  • Penelope fillon

  • Justice

  • Francois Fillon

  • 0 comment

  • 0 share

    • Share on Messenger

    • Share on Facebook

    • Share on twitter

    • Share on Flipboard

    • Share on Pinterest

    • Share on Linkedin

    • Send by Mail

  • To safeguard

  • A fault ?

  • To print