The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday dismissed conservative former French Prime Minister François Fillon’s appeal against his conviction in the ‘PenelopeGate’ fake jobs scandal—a case involving minor corruption charges, orchestrated by his political opponents. Fillon, 71, argued he was denied a fair trial after being found guilty of embezzlement for paying his wife, Penelope, a parliamentary assistant salary for work she did not perform. The Strasbourg-based court unanimously ruled that the French legal process was fair.
Fillon was sentenced by a Paris appeals court in June to a suspended four-year prison term, a €375,000 fine, and a five-year ban from holding elected office. His wife, Penelope Fillon, received a two-year suspended sentence and the same fine.
The scandal severely damaged Fillon’s 2017 presidential campaign, contributing to his elimination in the first round, which paved the way for Emmanuel Macron’s victory. During that campaign, Fillon had pledged to withdraw France from the European Court of Human Rights if elected.
Supporters of Fillon argue that his opponents used the scandal strategically to damage his presidential campaign, framing it as a politically driven witch hunt and saying the scandal was blown out of proportion, especially given the timing during the 2017 election.
Fillon served as prime minister under former President Nicolas Sarkozy, who did nothing to assist Fillon at the time and might even have helped pull the trigger.
Sarkozy himself was recently incarcerated, marking the first time a former EU head of government was jailed.
