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French court confirms ex-PM's conviction in 'fake jobs' case

Top court confirmed conviction of former premier in a fake jobs scandal that wrecked his 2017 presidential bid but ordered a new trial for his sentencing.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

France's Court of Cassation on Wednesday confirmed the conviction of former premier François Fillon in a fake jobs scandal that wrecked his 2017 presidential bid but ordered a new trial for his sentencing, reports FRANCE 24.

Fillon, 70, was sentenced on appeal on May 9, 2022 to four years' jail, three years of which were suspended, and a fine of 375,000 euros ($400,000). A new sentencing trial will take place in coming months at the Paris court of appeal.

The conservative politician was found guilty of providing a fake parliamentary assistant job to his wife, Penelope Fillon, that saw her paid millions of euros in public funds.

She was given a suspended two-year prison sentence for embezzlement at the 2022 appeal trial, and ordered to pay the same fine as her husband.

Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.