François Fillon sentenced to 4 years suspended prison sentence, 375,000 euros fine and 5 years of ineligibility

On May 9, 2022, François Fillon, 71, was sentenced to one year in prison , the same fine, and 10 years of ineligibility . The Court of Cassation then partially overturned this decision, finding in particular that the prison sentence was insufficiently justified.

The Paris Court of Appeal also confirmed a sum of 126,167 euros in damages awarded to the National Assembly, which recovered one of Penelope Fillon's parliamentary assistant contracts with her husband, the one from 2012-2013.

"The court considered that there was no evidence of paid employment in the file," the president briefly explained in rendering the decision.

The remaining damages - a total of 800,000 euros - are final and François Fillon has begun to pay them back.

Four years suspended sentence initially requested

This is a decision "which, after several years, puts this case back in its proper place. There is no prison sentence, no electronic bracelet, François Fillon is a free man ," reacted his lawyer, Antonin Lévy, who indicated that he would study the ruling before deciding on a possible new appeal to the Court of Cassation.

At a hearing on April 29th devoted solely to the sanctions against Mr. Fillon, the attorney general requested a four-year suspended prison sentence, a fine of 375,000 euros and a ten-year ban on election.

The sentences of Penelope Fillon and François Fillon's former deputy, Marc Joulaud, had, on the contrary, been definitively confirmed.

At first instance, in 2020, François Fillon was sentenced to five years in prison, two of which were firm, with the same fines and ineligibility.