Scandal-hit Francois Fillon says wife will ‘never’ be convicted of fraud
FRENCH presidential hopeful Francois Fillon said his British-born wife would never be convicted of fraud because the case against her is “void”.
Scandal-hit Francois Fillon says his wife will ‘never’ be convicted of fraud
The right-winger added that he and his wife had been set up, and that he had absolutely nothing to hide.
Penelope Fillon was charged with embezzlement of public funds, misappropriation of public funds and aggravated fraud last week after it was claimed she had been paid hundreds of thousands of euros for an alleged ‘fake’ job as her husband’s parliamentary assistant.
Mr Fillon, for his part, refused to bow out of the presidential race despite being put under formal investigation for misuse of public funds in early March, and has firmly denied all the accusations, which he claims are “unfounded”.
He said: “My wife will never be convicted of fraud because the case against her is void. It is a case that was built up from nothing.
Francois Fillon DEFENDS wife Penelope
The right-winger said that he and his wife had been set up
“I am innocent. I do not feel one iota of guilt – if I did, I would not be running for the presidency.”
It is a case that was built up from nothing
Mr Fillon – who said that he would drop out of the race if he were criminally investigated before backtracking on his promise weeks later – added that he never could have imagined that such a scenario would unfold in the middle of his election campaign.
Front National Party leader Marine Le Pen
He said: “I am the victim of a professional plot.”
Mr Fillon added that he never should have promised to quit the race if formally charged because his rivals had used his own words against him and tried to “discredit” him.
Emmanuel Macron is a well liked rival in the race
The one-time frontrunner’s approval ratings plunged after the scandal came to light in January, and he has since dropped to third place in polls.
Mr Fillon is now more than five percentage points behind his two nearest rivals, Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron, who, for their part, are both expected to qualify for the second round of voting in May.