France's Court of Cassation on Wednesday confirmed the conviction of former premier Francois Fillon in a fake jobs scandal that wrecked his 2017 presidential bid but ordered a new trial for his sentencing.
Francois 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.
Both were also ordered to repay 800,000 euros to the lower-house National Assembly, which reimbursed Penelope Fillon for the job as her husband's assistant.
Under French sentencing guidelines, it is unlikely that Fillon will spend any time behind bars, and can be ordered instead to wear an ankle-bracelet.
The couple has always insisted that Penelope Fillon had done genuine constituency work.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Marine Le Pen Aides Brush Off Plagiarism Of Fillon In French Election Speech France's Francois Fillon: One-Time Favourite Sunk By Scandal What Happened Today In France's Presidential Race Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms Travel Influencer Aanvi Kamdar Dies After Falling Off A Waterfall Near Mumbai BJP Subtly Asking Ajit Pawar To Quit "Mahayuti": Sharad Pawar's NCP Secret Service Head To Testify To US House Panel On Trump Shooting Florida Man Arrested For Making Threats Against Biden 4 Killed, 3 Missing In Landslide In Karnataka Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.