Former French Premier Fillon sentenced to suspended prison term for misusing public funds

ISTANBUL

Former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday, fully suspended, following a retrial in a long-running case involving the misuse of public funds for fictitious jobs for his wife.

The Paris Court of Appeal also ordered Fillon to pay a €375,000 (about $402,000) fine and barred him from holding public office for five years, the French broadcaster BFMTV reported.

This decision marks a reduction from his previous sentence delivered in May 2022, which included one year of rigorous imprisonment, the same amount of fine, and 10 years of ineligibility.

France’s highest court, the Cour de Cassation, had partially overturned that ruling in 2024, citing insufficient justification for the prison term.

The latest ruling follows a third trial held after the Supreme Court's decision. The sentence aligns with the recommendations of the public prosecutor, who requested four years’ suspended imprisonment, a €375,000 fine, and 10 years of ineligibility to hold a public office.

Fillon was sentenced to five years in prison in 2020, with two years of rigorous jail time, but he appealed the decision.

The case centers on payments made to Fillon’s wife, Penelope Fillon, who was accused of receiving public funds for a parliamentary assistant job she allegedly did not carry out.

Her conviction, along with that of Marc Joulaud, Fillon’s former deputy, had previously been upheld by the courts and remains unchanged.

Francois Fillon served as France's prime minister from 2007 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. The scandal derailed his 2017 presidential bid and marked a significant moment in the fight against political corruption in France.