A French court on Monday found former Prime Minister François Fillon guilty of creating a fake position for his wife, using public funds to pay his wife and children over €1 million since 1998.
In 2017, while Fillon was running for president, a weekly satirical paper reported that he had paid his wife to be his assistant from 1998 until 2013. Fallon then lost the election, at least in part due to his loss in reputation.
On Monday, the Paris court sentenced Fillon to five years in prison, three of which were suspended, and a €375,000 fine. He is also banned from running for elected office for 10 years. His wife, Penelope, was also found guilty of being complicit in the case. She has been suspended from running for public office for three years, and fined €375,000. Both individuals have been asked to reimburse the National Assembly over €1 million for the salaries and payroll charges that were paid.
Fillon is expected to appeal this decision.
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