France's highest court of appeals on Wednesday, April 24, confirmed the conviction of former prime minister Francois Fillon in a fake jobs scandal that wrecked his 2017 presidential bid but ordered a new trial for his sentencing. Fillon, 70, had been sentenced on appeal on May 9, 2022 to four years' jail, three years of which were suspended, and a fine of 375,000 euros. A new sentencing trial will now take place in coming months at the Paris court of appeal.
Fillon was accused of fraudulently hiring his wife as a member of his staff when he was a member of parliament. The scandal was originally broken during the 2017 presidential campaign by the satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné, revealing that Penelope Fillon had not done any work while being paid by the Assemblée Nationale for 15 years as a member of her husband's staff.