But Mr Létocart said there was no evidence of any of these press cuttings, or of these reports, and that it was quite normal for people to sort out letters delivered to their private home without being paid. The reality was that Ms Fillon spent most of her time living on the couple's country estate near Le Mans, where she brought up their five children. Penelope (left) has been handed a three-year suspended sentence while the couple have been ordered to pay a total of £656,000 in fines. Penelope Fillon’s role alongside her husband drew all the attention during the February-March trial, which focused on determining whether her activities were in the traditional role of an elected official’s partner — or involved actual paid work. Penelope Fillon, 64, told the court how she came to France to study literature, met Fillon and got married in 1980. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article. Cyclist berated Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer after he crashed into him 'while... ANDREW PIERCE: How darkly ironic that free school meals were a TORY idea... shot down by the Left.
But it was quickly suspended until Wednesday following a request from all lawyers who wished to display their solidarity with colleagues striking over President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reform. 1:19. Its lawyer, Yves Claisse, said “if the tribunal decide that there were infractions, the National Assembly will ask for a total penalty of 1.081 million euros that correspond to the salaries and payroll charges that were paid.”. She told investigators that her main role was to handle her husband’s mail at their manor house near a small town in rural western France, Sable-sur-Sarthe, where Fillon was first elected to Parliament in 1981 at the age of 27. Prosecutors said her wages — up to nine times France's minimum salary — appeared to depend on the available financing from the National Assembly rather than the nature of her work. SYLVIE CORBET and NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY
Francois Fillon insisted that, according to the separation of powers, the justice system cannot interfere with how a lawmaker organizes work at his office. He could have been president of France. Referring to an article in an English newspaper in 2007, Mr Létocart quoted Mrs Fillon as saying: 'I like watching the world at work, it's quite fun'. PARIS (AP) — For over three decades, Penelope Fillon was the very discreet wife of a prominent politician who became France’s prime minister. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. The scandal broke in the French media just three months before the country’s 2017 presidential election, as Fillon was the front-runner in the race. She described her work as mostly doing reports about local issues, opening the mail, meeting with residents and helping to prepare speeches for local events. UK ticketholder scoops £79MILLION EuroMillions jackpot, Camelot reveals. In addition, charges also cover a contract that allowed Penelope Fillon to earn 135.000 euros in 2012-2013 as a consultant for a literary magazine owned by a friend of her husband — also an alleged fake job.
', He added: 'In these conditions, it is difficult to grasp the professional space that Penelope Fillon could have occupied. He was also a minister under two previous presidents, Francois Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac. The couple’s lawyers immediately announced an appeal. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. PARIS (AP) — For over three decades, Penelope Fillon was the very discreet wife of a prominent politician who became France’s prime minister.