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France's Fillon asks prosecutor to drop 'fake work' inquiry

The allegations have seriously damaged right-winger Fillon's campaign for the presidency, sending his opinion poll approval ratings plummeting.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

A lawyer for French conservative presidential candidate François Fillon said on Thursday he had asked the financial prosecutor to drop an inquiry into allegations that Fillon's wife had been paid for work she did not carry out properly, reports reuter.

"The financial prosecutor has no jurisdiction and its inquiry is therefore illegal," the lawyer Antonin Levy told a news conference, adding: "This investigation violates the most basic principles of the French constitution."

The allegations, made by a satirical weekly newspaper on January 25, have seriously damaged Fillon's campaign for the presidency, sending his opinion poll approval ratings plummeting.

Read more of this report from Reuters.