François Fillon

François Fillon, Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012, was central to the Penelopegate scandal, which emerged during his 2017 presidential campaign. Investigations revealed he had employed his wife, Penelope, in fictitious parliamentary assistant roles, paying her over €1 million in public funds for work that never occurred. He also employed two of his children as assistants while he was a senator, paying them €84,000. In a separate 2017 investigation, Fillon repaid €70,000 in public funds related to the employment of a writer for his book; prosecutors dropped this case following the repayment. Regarding Penelopegate, Fillon was convicted of embezzlement, misuse of public funds, and concealment. Following multiple appeals and a 2024 Supreme Court order to re-evaluate his sentence, Fillon received a final sentence in June 2025 of four years suspended imprisonment, a €375,000 fine, and a five-year ban from public office. He withdrew his final appeal in early 2026, making the conviction and sentence definitive.