Conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon has accused the French socialist government and president of leaking his financial affairs to the press. Fillon has been formally charged with embezzling public funds.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Demarthon
Advertisement
Beleaguered French presidential candidate Francois Fillon on Thursday accused the country's socialist government of conspiring to sabotage his campaign by spreading damaging leaks about his financial affairs. The conservative nominee alleged that French President Francois Hollande was behind the plot.
"You have newspapers today that receive documents 48 hours after they were seized in searches, for example from my office in the National Assembly," Fillon said in an interview with the French broadcaster "France 2."
What you need to know about Francois Fillon and "Penelopegate"
Francois Fillon is struggling to rebuild his presidential campaign after accusations that he hired family members in "fake jobs". But what exactly has Fillon been accused of - and how has he defended himself?
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/A. Robert
Frontrunner no more
Many expected Francois Fillon to be a shoo-in for the presidency. The former French prime minister easily won the conservative primary with 67 percent of the vote. But then Penelopegate hit. Weekly newspaper Canard Enchaine reported that Fillon's wife Penelope and two of his children had received close to one million euros in salaries from Fillon, paid by the state. Fillon's popularity tumbled.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Bureau
Working for her husband?
It is not illegal in France to hire family members as parliamentary assistants - provided they have real jobs. Fillon's wife was paid 830,000 euros ($900,000) as a parliamentary assistant for 15 years, working (or - as some have suggested - "working") for Fillon and his replacement in parliament. Police are currently investigating whether Penelope provided services for the salary she received.
Image: picture alliance/abaca/Y. Korbi
Keeping it in the family
Reporters also revealed that Fillon paid his two oldest children 84,000 euros for working as assistants between 2005 and 2007. Fillon argued that he had hired Marie and Charles Fillon for their legal expertise - though the two were still in law school when they had jobs with their father.
Image: Picture-Alliance/dpa/R. Jensen
More accusations
Penelope was also employed at an art magazine from May 2012 to December 2013, where she was paid roughly 5,000 euros a month. The owner of the magazine had previously been recommended for France's highest honor, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, by then-prime minister Francois Fillon. Fillon has said that these two facts were unrelated.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/E. Feferberg
A smear campaign?
Fillon has repeatedly denied charges that he used "fake jobs" to enrich his family. He has said that he employed his wife and children because he trusted them and accused the media of running a smear campaign against him. Nevertheless, Penelopegate has severely damaged the campaign of the 63-year old, who has sold himself to French voters as an honest family man keen on cutting public spending.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Desmazes
Certainly not a first
The accusations against Fillon are hardly the first of their kind in France. Ex-President Jacques Chirac was found guilty in 2011 of employing party members in "fake jobs" as mayor of Paris. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy is being investigated for illegal campaign financing, and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen is suspected of paying officials in her far-right party with EU funds.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/C. Ena
6 images1 | 6
"Who gives them these documents? The government," the conservative candidate said. When pressed whether he believed politicians or the judicial system approved the leaks, Fillon said: "I will go much further. I blame the president of the republic."
Hollande 'condemns' allegations
Hollande's office was quick to refute the remarks, saying the French President condemned "with the greatest firmness the false allegations of Fillon."
Since Hollande's election in 2012, "the executive has never intervened in any judicial procedure and has always strictly respected the independence of the judiciary," the president's office said in a statement. "Regarding the serious allegations facing Mr Fillon, because they concern his integrity and exemplarity, the President of the Republic only heard of the charges through the press."
Fillon fighting to salvage campaign Judges formally charged Fillon last week for embezzling public funds in what has been part of an ongoing investigation into accusations he paid his wife 830,000 euros ($894,000) over 15 years for government work that she never carried out. The Les Republicains party has repeatedly protested his innocence.
However, that investigation only widened last week when it was revealed that he had received made-to-measure luxury suits worth around 13,000 euros as gifts from a well-known attorney. Fillon admitted he had made a mistake in accepting the suits and said he had returned them.
During Thursday's interview, Fillon said that the image of him being painted oftentimes made him think back to Pierre Beregovoy, a former French Prime Minister under President Francois Mitterrand who committed suicide in 1993. Fillon said he "understood why you could be led to this extreme."
Fillon had been considered a clear frontrunner and on course to win the presidency before the allegations of corruption and embezzlement were published in January by the French weekly "Le Canard Enchaine." Since then, his popularity has plummeted. Polls show that he is likely to be eliminated in the first round of the presidential election on April 23, with independent centrist Emmanuel Macron and the far-right's Marine Le Pen poised to make it through to the final runoff ballot on May 7.
dm/jr (AFP, Reuters)
French election: The major players
France is choosing a new president this year. A first round vote on April 23 isn't expected to produce a clear winner, setting up a face-off between the top two contenders on May 7. DW takes a look at the major players.
Image: AP
Emmanuel Macron
Macron quit as economy minister in August and launched his independent presidential bid in November. The 39-year-old centrist formed his own political movement, En Marche (Forward), and is seen as a reformer. Despite having never held elected office, polls have predicted his win in the final round of voting in May. He's voiced admiration for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Bozon
Marine Le Pen
The National Front leader has adopted a more moderate tone than her anti-Semitic father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen. But she still takes a hard line on immigration, saying children of irregular migrants should not have access to public education. She also wants France to withdraw from the eurozone and have a referendum on EU membership. It's predicted she'll advance to the second round.
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
Francois Fillon
A surprise winner of the right-wing Republicans primaries, the socially conservative Fillon is seen to represent the interests of France's Catholic middle class. An admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, he supports a liberal economic policy. Though Penelopegate and other scandals have marred Fillon's campaign, he has professed no wrongdoing and vowed to fight on.
Image: Reuters/P. Wojazer
Benoit Hamon
In a runoff against former French PM Manuel Valls in the Socialist primary, Hamon was the more left-wing choice of the two politicians. The 49-year-old supports a universal basic income and wants to shorten the traditional work week. He has also spoken in support of increased investment in renewable energy. He faces an uphill battle as many socialist politicians have voiced support for Macron.
Image: Reuters/P. Wojazer
Jean-Luc Melenchon
The Left Party's candidate landed fourth in the 2012 presidential elections. Melenchon, a current European Parliament member, believes the bloc's economic liberalism has stifled France. He hopes to profit from the center-left's disarray, but may split votes with socialist Hamon. Supported by the French Communist party, Melenchon advocates a shorter work week and climate protection.
