French prosecutors on Friday called for the case against former prime minister and presidential candidate François Fillon to go to trial, reports Politico.
The deputy prosecutor of the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF), Aurélien Létocart, unveiled a document which he said summarizes “almost two years' worth” of legal investigations into the financial affairs of Fillon and his wife Penelope, Le Monde reported.
Embezzlement and misuse of corporate assets are among the charges* against the couple.
The case against Fillon was triggered in January 2017 when satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné said both Fillon and his deputy Marc Joulaud had employed the former’s wife in "fictional" roles.
Read more of this report from Politico.
* Editor's note: Under a change to the French legal system introduced in 1993, a magistrate can decide a suspect should be 'placed under investigation' (mis en examen), which is a status one step short of being charged (inculpé), if there is 'serious or concordant' evidence that they committed a crime. Some English-language media describe this status, peculiar to French criminal law, as that of being charged. In fact, it is only at the end of an investigation that a decision can be made to bring charges, in which case the accused is automatically sent for trial.