The Court of Cassation will render its decision this Wednesday on the François Fillon case concerning fictitious jobs. This could mark the end of a legal journey or, on the contrary, the opening of a new chapter.
This Wednesday, the Court of Cassation will rule on the fictitious jobs case concerning François Fillon. The former Prime Minister made a last resort and should know his fate during the day. François Fillon was sentenced on appeal, in May 2022, to four years of imprisonment, one year of which was suspended, as well as a fine of 375,000 euros and ten years of ineligibility. His wife Penelope, for her part, was sentenced to two years in prison, two years of ineligibility and a fine of 375,000 euros and Marc Joulaud, elected from Sarthe, received three years in prison and five years. of ineligibility. They were also ordered to pay 800,000 euros in damages to the National Assembly. The spouses contested this decision, with François Fillon considering in particular that he did not have the right to a “fair” trial.
This affair marked the 2017 presidential election following revelations from Chained Duck. Penelope Fillon, wife of the former candidate for the presidential election, was accused of having benefited from a fictitious job for several years, paid more than 500,000 euros, as a parliamentary attaché to her husband then to the substitute for the latter, Marc Joulaud.
The latter’s lawyers assured that such a conviction was not justified, recalled BFMTV. During a hearing on February 28, Me François Henri-Briard affirmed that François Fillon “did not benefit from an impartial trial”. They defended their client with nine arguments on which the Court of Cassation must rule this Wednesday. The high court must above all examine compliance with the rules of law and not the merits of the case.
François Fillon soon on an electronic bracelet?
Several outcomes are possible. If the Court of Cassation agrees with the lawyers, it can annul the conviction and order a new trial, the third. Conversely, the politician could see his sentence pronounced. In this case, he will be placed on an electronic bracelet at his home for one year and will have to pay the required amounts. The couple’s last option to contest would be to turn to the European Court of Human Rights in the name of the right to fair justice.
The Court of Cassation can also partially reverse its decision without requiring a new trial but by making some modifications. This Wednesday could therefore mark the end of the Fillon affair, as well as the opening of a new chapter.