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François Fillon vows to fight on despite formal inquiry into 'fake jobs' François Fillon vows to fight on despite formal inquiry into 'fake jobs'
(about 2 hours later)
French presidential candidate François Fillon has announced he will be placed under formal investigation over allegations that he gave fake parliamentary jobs to family members, but vowed not to quit and described the judges’ decision as a “political assassination”. French presidential candidate François Fillon has vowed to carry on campaigning despite being summoned by judges to face accusations of giving fake jobs to his wife and children.
Attacking the legal system and the media, the beleaguered conservative candidate said he was being unfairly targeted. The presumption of innocence had been “ignored and has disappeared”, Fillon said at a hastily arranged press conference in Paris. Just weeks after he pledged to stand down if formally put under investigation, the beleaguered conservative candidate made what many saw as his last, determined stand on Wednesday.
“Many of my political friends, and those who supported me in the primary elections with its 4 million votes, are talking of a political assassination. It is, in effect, an assassination … but it’s not just me they are killing, it’s the presidential election,” he added, striking a combative but sombre figure. “Yes, I will be a candidate to be president of the republic.” At a hastily arranged press conference he lashed out at the legal system and the media, claimed he was being unfairly targeted, and accused judges and the press of attempting a “political assassination”.
Afterwards, one of the key members of Fillon’s campaign team, Bruno Le Maire, who had previously publicly expressed his confidence in Fillon, announced he was stepping down. The 62-year-old is accused of paying his British-born wife, Penelope, and two of his children hundreds of thousands of euros of taxpayers’ money as his parliamentary assistants in allegedly fictitious jobs.
In a statement, Le Maire, a former government minister, referred to Fillon’s public promise on 26 January that if he was officially put under investigation he would withdraw his candidacy. “I believe in respecting what one says; it is necessary for political credibility,” Le Maire wrote. He had been due to attend the annual farm fair in Paris on Wednesday, a rite of passage for all candidates, when the early-morning visit was cancelled without warning.
Fillon, 62, won the centre-right Les Républicains’ party primaries last November. He campaigned on his “clean” scandal-free image, mocking his rival Nicolas Sarkozy, the former president, who is embroiled in several legal scandals, asking: “Who could imagine General de Gaulle being put under investigation?” His team then summoned the press to his campaign HQ, leading to fevered speculation that Fillon was about to stand down. Instead, he came out fighting, insisting he had done nothing wrong and accusing the government, the legal system and the media of throwing over the presumption of innocence.
However, in January just weeks after winning the party presidential nomination, Fillon was hit by allegations he had paid his British-born wife, Penelope, more than €680,000 (£582,000) of taxpayers’ money as his parliamentary assistant. He was also questioned over well-paid jobs for two of his children, Marie and Charles. “It is, in effect, an assassination … but it’s not just me they are killing, it’s the presidential election,” he told journalists, striking a combative but sombre tone. “Yes, I will be a candidate to be president of the republic,” he told the packed press conference.
It is not illegal for French MPs to employ family members, but they are required to have a real job. Last week the financial state prosecutor’s office announced that Fillon would be the subject of a full judicial inquiry into the allegations. On Wednesday, Fillon said his lawyers had informed him the case was being taken a step further with the summons with a view to being arraigned by the three judges appointed to investigate the case. “I have not embezzled public funds. I entrusted, as do almost a third of MPs, work to my relatives because I knew I could rely on their loyalty and their ability. They did indeed work for me and I will prove it.
“From the beginning, despite what has been said, I have not been treated like any other [legal] party … the rule of law has been systematically broken. The press has repeated the investigators’ views and only theirs. The arguments I have presented haven’t been heard or broadcast. The presumption of innocence has completely and entirely disappeared.”
His attacks and refusal to stand down, after saying he would, prompted the resignation of a former government minister and high-profile member of his election team and a terse rebuke from the country’s justice minister.
“The independence of the justice system is a constitutional principle. The investigating judges will conduct their inquiries in all independence … and with respect to other parties and the presumption of innocence,” the ministry said in a statement.
Rivals denounced the violence of his talk of assassinations, coming just days after Fillon suggested France was in a climate of “quasi civil war”.
Benoît Hamon, the Socialist party candidate, said Fillon’s language showed an “incredible violence towards the judges and the justice system”. He said: “He talks of ‘political assassination’; the reality is that it’s the ongoing series around François Fillon’s affairs that is dumbing down the presidential campaign.”
Fillon said the decision to summon him on 15 March – two days before the official deadline for presidential candidates to register – was calculated to rule him out of the election. His wife has reportedly been summoned to appear before the judges on 18 March.
He said: “It’s for the French people, those who follow me and those who fight me, only universal suffrage can decide who will be the next president of the republic. I will not give up … I ask you to follow me. I will be there at the rendezvous with democracy that will decide our collective future.
“France is bigger than my errors … bigger than the bias of a large part of the press … I have totally decided to serve that France with all my strength. I say to you, in all seriousness, don’t be fooled, don’t let anyone deprive you of your choice.”
Afterwards, one of the key members of Fillon’s campaign team, Bruno Le Maire, who had previously publicly expressed his confidence in him, announced he would step down.
In a statement, Le Maire, a former government minister, referred to Fillon’s public promise on 26 January that if he was officially put under investigation he would withdraw his candidacy, writing: “I believe in keeping one’s word; it is necessary for political credibility.”
President François Hollande also called Fillon to order. “Being a presidential candidate doesn’t give one the authority to throw suspicion on the work of the police and judges, to create a climate of defiance that is not compatible with the spirit of responsibility or, worse still, to throw extremely serious accusations against the legal system and more widely our institutions,” Hollande said in a statement.
Fillon won the centre-right Les Républicains’ party primaries last November. He campaigned on his “clean” scandal-free image, mocking his rival Nicolas Sarkozy, the former president, who is embroiled in several legal scandals, by asking: “Who could imagine General de Gaulle being put under investigation?” It was a taunt that would come back to haunt him.
In January, just weeks after winning the party presidential nomination, Fillon was hit by allegations he had paid his wife more than €680,000 (£582,000) of taxpayers’ money as his parliamentary assistant. He was also questioned over well-paid jobs for two of his children, Marie and Charles.
The centre-right Union of Democrats and Independents said it had suspended its alliance with Fillon. The party committee will meet next week to discuss whether to stop supporting him.
It is not illegal for French MPs to employ family members, but they are required to have a real job. Last week the financial state prosecutor’s office announced a full judicial inquiry into the allegations. On Wednesday, Fillon said his lawyers had informed him the case was being taken a step further with the summons, with a view to being arraigned by the three judges appointed to investigate the case.
Penelope Fillon has not been seen publicly since the scandal broke. She did not take part in a local council meeting at Solesmes, near the couple’s chateau in the Sarthe, where she is an elected councillor, on Monday evening.Penelope Fillon has not been seen publicly since the scandal broke. She did not take part in a local council meeting at Solesmes, near the couple’s chateau in the Sarthe, where she is an elected councillor, on Monday evening.
Candidates for the two-round presidential elections in April and May, must be formally submitted by 17 March.
On Wednesday, Fillon went on the offensive, telling reporters: “I have not embezzled public funds. I entrusted, as do almost a third of MPs, work to my relatives because I knew I could rely on their loyalty and their ability. They did indeed help me and work for me and I will prove it.
“The rule of law has been systematically violated … all my arguments have not been reported properly [by the press]. The presumption of innocence has been entirely ignored and has disappeared.”
He said the decision to summon him on 15 March – two days before the deadline for candidates to register – was calculated to rule him out of the election.
“It’s for the French people, those who follow me and those who fight me, only universal suffrage can decide who will be the next president of the republic. I will not give up … I ask you to follow me.
“I will be there at the rendezvous with democracy that will decide our collective future.”
He added: “France is bigger than my errors … bigger than the bias of a large part of the press … I have totally decided to serve that France with all my strength. I say to you, in all seriousness, don’t be fooled, don’t let anyone deprive you of your choice.”
Fillon also repeated his insistence that it was for the people and not the judges to decide who would lead France.
“Because only your voice alone can decide our common future, and because my willingness to serve is bigger than the accusations that are levelled against me, I ask you to resist. I am doing so, my family is doing so despite all the torment. My political family is doing so and above all, so are all those who believe that, in the end, only the people can decide.”
Fillon’s team had summoned the press to his campaign HQ in the 15th arrondissement in Paris at midday, saying he would make a statement. No other news was given, leading to frenzied speculation. Earlier, Fillon had postponed a visit to an agriculture show, a vital rite of passage for all presidential candidates.
There is no exact equivalent of mise en examen, or putting under formal investigation, in British or US legal systems; the nearest is being charged or arraigned. Only an investigating judge can decide to put a suspect under formal investigation, and only if he or she finds “serious and concordant” suggestions of law-breaking.There is no exact equivalent of mise en examen, or putting under formal investigation, in British or US legal systems; the nearest is being charged or arraigned. Only an investigating judge can decide to put a suspect under formal investigation, and only if he or she finds “serious and concordant” suggestions of law-breaking.
The “fake jobs” scandal has sent Fillon’s popularity plummeting. Recent polls had suggested that the far-right Front National candidate, Marine Le Pen, was likely to make it through to the final round of the election on 7 May, where she would face – and lose to – the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron. The “fake jobs” scandal has sent Fillon’s popularity plummeting. Recent polls have suggested that the far-right Front National candidate, Marine Le Pen, was likely to make it through to the final round of the election on 7 May, where she would face – and lose to – the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron.