François Charles Armand Fillon (; born 4 March 1954) is a retired French politician who served as
Prime Minister of France
The prime minister of France (french: link=no, Premier ministre français), officially the prime minister of the French Republic, is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of the Council of Ministers.
The prime minister ...
from 2007 to 2012 under President
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
.
He was the nominee of
the Republicans (previously known as the
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right political party in France that was one of the two major contemporary political parties in France along with the centre-left Social ...
), the country's largest centre-right political party, for the
2017 presidential election where he ranked third in the first round of voting.
Fillon became
Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin (; born 3 August 1948) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005.
He resigned after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. Howeve ...
's
Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...
in 2002 and undertook controversial reforms of the
35-hour working week law and of the French retirement system. In 2004, as
Minister of National Education he proposed the much debated
Fillon law on Education.
In 2005, Fillon was elected
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for the
Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
department. His role as a political advisor in
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
's successful race for president led to his becoming prime minister in 2007. Fillon resigned upon Sarkozy's defeat by
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...
in the
2012 presidential elections.
Running on a platform described as conservative, he won the
2016 Republican presidential primary, defeating
Alain Juppé
Alain Marie Juppé (; born 15 August 1945) is a French politician. A member of The Republicans (France), The Republicans, he was Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac, during which period he faced 1995 strikes ...
. Following his victory in the primary, opinion polls showed Fillon as the frontrunner for the
2017 presidential election. But in March 2017, he was formally charged in an embezzlement investigation in a case that became known as "
Penelopegate" due to the involvement of
his wife. In April, he finally came third in the first round with 20%, and was therefore excluded from the run-off between the top two finishers.
In 2020, he was convicted of fraud and misuse of funds, and sentenced to five years in prison (three of them suspended). He has appealed against the sentence. In May 2022, the sentence was shortened to four years in prison (three of them suspended).
In December 2021, Fillon was named as a member of the Board of Directors of
SIBUR
SIBUR (PJSC SIBUR Holding) is a Russian petrochemicals company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Moscow.
SIBUR is the largest integrated petrochemicals company in Russia and one of the fastest-growing companies in the global petrochemicals ...
Holding, the largest integrated petrochemical company in Russia. He resigned from this position in February 2022, following the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.
Early life
Fillon was born on 4 March 1954 in
Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
, Sarthe, France. His father, Michel, is a
civil law notary
Civil-law notaries, or Latin notaries, are lawyers of noncontentious private civil law who draft, take, and record legal instruments for private parties, provide legal advice and give attendance in person, and are vested as public officers wit ...
, while his mother, Anne Soulet Fillon, is a history professor of
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
descent. His youngest brother, Dominique, is a pianist and jazz musician.
Fillon received a
baccalauréat
The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...
in 1972. He then studied at the
University of Maine
The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...
in Le Mans where he received a master's degree in public law in 1976. He subsequently received a
master of Advanced Studies
A Master of Advanced Studies or Master of Advanced Study (MAS, M.A.S., or MASt) is a postgraduate degree awarded in various countries. Master of Advanced Studies programs may be non-consecutive programs tailored for "specific groups of working pro ...
(''diplôme d'études approfondies'') in public law from
Paris Descartes University.
Political career
Governmental functions
*Minister of Higher Education and Research: 1993–1995.
*Minister of Information Technologies and Posts: May – November 1995.
*Minister responsible for Posts, Telecommunications and Space: 1995–1997.
*Minister of Social Affairs, Labour and Solidarity: 2002–2004.
*Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research: 2004–2005.
*Prime minister: 2007–2012.
*February to May 2012: he assumed the functions of the Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing, after the resignation of
Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet
Nathalie Geneviève Marie Kosciusko-Morizet () (born 14 May 1973 in the 15th arrondissement of Paris), often referred to by her initials NKM, is an engineer, public figure and advocate, having previously had a political career.
She was a Membe ...
who became spokeswoman of Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential campaign.
Electoral mandates
National Assembly of France
*President of the Rally-UMP Group in the National Assembly: November 2012 – January 2013.
*Member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
for Paris (
2nd constituency): 2012–2017.
*Member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
for
Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
(
4th constituency): 1981–1993 (became Minister in 1993); 1997–2002 (became Minister in 2002); re-elected in 2007 but he became Prime Minister. Elected in 1981, re-elected in 1986, 1988, 1993, 1997, 2002, and 2007.
Senate of France
*Senator for
Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
: 2005–2007 (became Prime Minister in 2007, and he appears again as a member of the National Assembly of France in June 2007). Elected in 2004, remained as Minister. Reelected in 2005.
Regional Council
*President of the Regional Council of
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" ().
...
: 1998–2002 (resignation).
*Vice-president of the Regional Council of
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" ().
...
: 2002–2004.
*Regional councillor of
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" ().
...
: 1998–2007 (Resignation). Reelected in 2004. Elected in
Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
constituency.
General Council
*President of the General Council of
Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
: 1992–1998. Reelected in 1994.
*Vice President of the General Council of
Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
: 1985–1992.
*General councillor of the
Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
, elected in the
canton of Sablé-sur-Sarthe: 1981–1998. Reelected in 1985, 1992.
Municipal Council
*Mayor of
Sablé-sur-Sarthe
Sablé-sur-Sarthe (, literally ''Sablé on Sarthe''), commonly referred to as Sablé, is a commune in the Sarthe department, in the Pays de la Loire region, western France. It is about 50 km northeast of Angers.
Population
Geography
The ...
: 1983–2001. Reelected in 1989, 1995.
*Municipal councillor of
Sablé-sur-Sarthe
Sablé-sur-Sarthe (, literally ''Sablé on Sarthe''), commonly referred to as Sablé, is a commune in the Sarthe department, in the Pays de la Loire region, western France. It is about 50 km northeast of Angers.
Population
Geography
The ...
: 1983–2001. Reelected in 1989, 1995.
*Municipal councillor of
Solesmes: 2001–2014. Reelected in 2008.
Community of communes Council
*President of the
Communauté de communes
A ''communauté de communes'' (, "community of communes") is a federation of municipalities (communes) in France. It forms a framework within which local tasks are carried out together. It is the least-integrated form of ''intercommunalité'' (in ...
of Sablé-sur-Sarthe: 2001–2012 (resignation). Reelected in 2008.
*Member of the
Communauté de communes
A ''communauté de communes'' (, "community of communes") is a federation of municipalities (communes) in France. It forms a framework within which local tasks are carried out together. It is the least-integrated form of ''intercommunalité'' (in ...
of Sablé-sur-Sarthe: 2001–2014. Reelected in 2008.
Prime Minister
![François Fillon à l'Assemblée nationale, 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Fran%C3%A7ois_Fillon_%C3%A0_l%27Assembl%C3%A9e_nationale%2C_2007.jpg)
The day after
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
became President he appointed Fillon as Prime Minister of France, charging him with the task of forming a new cabinet, which was announced on 18 May 2007. By appointing as Secretary of State
André Santini
André Santini (; born 20 October 1940) is a French politician and current mayor of Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine.
A former member of the UDF, he did not support François Bayrou, the candidate of his party for the first round of the ...
, who had been indicted in the
''Fondation Hamon'' affair on charges of corruption, Fillon made the first break since 1992 with the so-called "
Balladur jurisprudence", according to which an indicted governmental personality should resign until the case is closed.
[La mise en examen de M. Santini n'a pas empêché sa nomination au gouvernement]
, ''Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'', 22 June 2007 On 13 November 2010, Fillon resigned, paving the way for a cabinet reshuffle. One day later Sarkozy reappointed Fillon as Prime Minister, allowing Fillon to formally name a new cabinet.
Following the defeat of Nicolas Sarkozy to François Hollande in the
2012 presidential election, Fillon resigned on 10 May. Following the inauguration of Hollande as president on 15 May 2012,
Jean-Marc Ayrault
Jean-Marc Ayrault (; born 25 January 1950) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 15 May 2012 to 31 March 2014. He later was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2017. He previously was Mayor of Nantes from 1989 t ...
, Mayor of
Nantes
Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
, was appointed to succeed Fillon as Prime Minister.
UMP presidential election
Aiming at building consensus within the diverging views at the UMP after Francois Hollande's victory in the French presidential elections in 2012, Fillon declared his candidacy to become the President of the UMP party. On the day of the vote, both candidates (Fillon and
Jean-François Copé
Jean-François Copé (; born 5 May 1964) is a French politician serving as Mayor of Meaux since 1995 with an interruption from 2002 to 2005. He was Government Spokesman between 2002 and 2007, when assumed other tenures in the government—inclu ...
) claimed victory and accused the other of cheating. This led to a major political crisis within the party with votes being recounted twice and Copé finally being declared winner.
Fillon threatened to split from UMP unless new elections were organised. He formed a new parliamentary faction, the
Rassemblement-UMP group.
In December 2012, Copé agreed to organising elections in 2013, thus putting an end to the crisis.
Presidential bid
Fillon entered the
2016 Republican presidential primary, held on 20 November 2016, and seemed a likely third as late as a week before the vote.
[Willsher, Kim, and Matthew Weaver]
"Who is François Fillon – the man who ended Sarkozy's dream?"
, ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016. In early counting, Fillon emerged as the clear frontrunner, with
Alain Juppé
Alain Marie Juppé (; born 15 August 1945) is a French politician. A member of The Republicans (France), The Republicans, he was Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac, during which period he faced 1995 strikes ...
in second place. Third place Sarkozy conceded, bringing his support to Fillon, and Fillon and Juppé went into the run-off on 27 November 2016. Juppé conceded to Fillon, pledging his support for him as the Republican nominee in the
2017 presidential election.
As of November 2016, Fillon was seen as the frontrunner for the Presidency against the Socialist candidate
Benoît Hamon
Benoît Hamon (; born 26 June 1967) is a French politician known for his former role within the Socialist Party (PS) and Party of European Socialists (PES) and his political party Génération.s.
Hamon joined the Socialist Party in 1988 and ...
,
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...
and
Marine Le Pen. However, revelations of
series of political scandals at the end of January shattered his presidential bid, with polls rapidly showing him behind both Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron and out of the runoff. Fillon's visits on the ground attracted protesters who further destabilised his campaign. The news provocated consternation in Germany where Fillon was seen as a serious and trusted candidate.
On 23 April 2017, he secured 20.0% of the votes at the first round of the French presidential election, arriving third, and therefore failing to enter the runoff.
Political positions
Economy, budget and taxation
Fillon has been described as economically liberal and fiscally conservative. For many observers, he is more liberal than his mentor
Philippe Séguin
Philippe Séguin (21 April 1943 – 7 January 2010) was a French political figure who was President of the National Assembly from 1993 to 1997 and President of the Cour des Comptes of France from 2004 to 2010.
He entered the Court of Financi ...
.
[Infographie : dans la tête de François Fillon](_blank)
sur rue89.com du . A few months after taking office as prime minister, he declared that he was "at the head of a state that is bankrupt financially,
..which for 15 years has been in chronic deficit,
..that has not voted a balanced budget for 25 years." He then committed publicly to "bring the state budget to balance by the end of the five-year", and reiterated this promise in 2012
[Castres. Fillon défend le bilan du quinquennat](_blank)
sur ladepeche.fr du . and proposed a referendum on registration of the fiscal golden rule in the Constitution. In defending a policy of controlling the deficit, Fillon is in favour of abolishing the wealth tax, which he considers one of the causes of the debt of France. According to him, this tax discourages foreign entrepreneurs. This tax would be offset by the creation of a top slice of income tax to 50%, which would be included in the CSG.
As a presidential candidate, Fillon aims to reduce the public sector and cut 500,000 civil-service jobs. Fillon has been compared to
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
due to his ambition to reduce the size of the state. He says in 2016 that he wants the state healthcare program (''securité sociale'') to work better with fewer payments.
Fillon is in favour of increasing the retirement age to 65. During the 2012 presidential election, he proposed that each job seeker should be offered vocational training and be forced to accept the employment offered to them after training.
Domestic policy
Fillon' stances on domestic and social issues are mostly perceived as conservative. As member of the National Assembly, he voted against the equalisation of the age of consent for homosexual relations in 1982, against
civil solidarity pact
In France, a civil solidarity pact (french: pacte civil de solidarité), commonly known as a ''PACS'' (), is a contractual form of civil union between two adults for organising their joint life. It brings rights and responsibilities, but less s ...
s in 1999, and against the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2013.
However, he says he will not ban the same-sex marriage law if elected president. He opposes adoption by same-sex couples.
Fillon has stated that he is personally opposed to abortion but would not vote to ban it.
Fillon blamed the
2017 social unrest in French Guiana
The 2017 social unrest in French Guiana was a series of protests and strikes led by the "Collective of 500 Brothers" to highlight the issues of insecurity and infrastructure in French Guiana, France. It began on March 20, 2017 in Kourou, and sprea ...
on President Hollande's policies, which he said had failed.
Foreign policy
![Dmitry Medvedev with François Fillon 14 September 2009-3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Dmitry_Medvedev_with_Fran%C3%A7ois_Fillon_14_September_2009-3.jpg)
Fillon is an advocate of cracking down on
Salafism
The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generat ...
and
Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups and has stridently warned against the threat of "
Islamic totalitarianism".
He has called for dialogue with Syria under
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...
and with the Russian Federation, under
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
. Putin has been described as a friend of Fillon,
although Fillon himself rejects that description.
Personal life
Fillon lives with his wife,
Penelope
Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or el, Πηνελόπη, ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and naiad Periboea. Pe ...
, and five children, Marie, Charles, Antoine, Édouard and Arnaud, in the 12th-century Manoir de Beaucé, set in 20 acres (8
ha) of woodland on the banks of the
River Sarthe
The Sarthe () is a river in western France. Together with the river Mayenne it forms the river Maine, which is a tributary to the river Loire.
Its source is in the Orne department, near Moulins-la-Marche. It flows generally southwest, through ...
4 km east of the monastery village of
Solesmes, near
Sablé-sur-Sarthe
Sablé-sur-Sarthe (, literally ''Sablé on Sarthe''), commonly referred to as Sablé, is a commune in the Sarthe department, in the Pays de la Loire region, western France. It is about 50 km northeast of Angers.
Population
Geography
The ...
, and about halfway between Le Mans and
Angers
Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the prov ...
. They had lived in various other properties, always in the
Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
, throughout their marriage, before buying Beaucé in 1993.
Fillon has a reputation as an
Anglophile
An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents.
Etymology
The word is derived from the Latin word ''Anglii'' and Ancient Greek word φίλος ''philos'', meaning "frien ...
.
His wife Penelope Kathryn Fillon, ''née'' Clarke, was born in
Llanover
Llanover (; cy, Llanofer) is a village in the community of Goetre Fawr in Monmouthshire, Wales.
Location
Llanover is located four miles south of Abergavenny just off the A4042 road to Pontypool. The community includes the separate hamlets o ...
in Wales, the daughter of a solicitor. They met while she was teaching English during her
gap year
A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is typically a year-long break before or after college/university during which students engage in various educational and developmental activities, such as travel or some type of regular work. Gap yea ...
in
Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
, and they were married in the bride's family church in June 1980.
François Fillon has spoken at a wide variety of universities in Britain, notably
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
and the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
.
On 1 September 2017, Fillon became a partner at asset manager Tikehau Capital.
Fillon's younger brother, Pierre, an
ophthalmic specialist (and now President of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest), later married Penelope Fillon's younger sister, Jane.
Conviction for fraud
In January 2017, ''
Le Canard enchaîné
(; English: "The Chained Duck" or "The Chained Paper", as is French slang meaning "newspaper") is a satirical weekly newspaper in France. Its headquarters is in Paris.
Founded in 1915 during World War I, it features investigative journalism a ...
'' published an article in which
Penelope Fillon
Penelope Kathryn Fillon (née Clarke, 31 July 1955) is the wife of former French politician François Fillon. She was the Spouse of the Prime Minister of France from 17 May 2007 to 10 May 2012. Born and raised in Wales, Fillon is a graduate o ...
was accused of alleged fictitious employment, as her husband's "''assistante parlementaire''" for a total salary of €500,000 over eight years on the one hand, and as a "literary adviser" of ''
Revue des deux Mondes'' on the other, with a monthly salary of €5,000, amounting to a total of another €100,000. A
preliminary hearing immediately opened. The public outcry around this so-called "Penelopegate"
was such that doubts were voiced about François Fillon himself, who was the frontrunner for the 2017 presidential election, with an immediate sharp decline in the opinion polls.
On 31 January, new reporting by ''Le Canard enchaîné'' found that Penelope Fillon was actually paid €300,000 more than previously reported, for a total sum of €831,440 for 15 years of her parliamentary assistant work.
It also reported that Fillon had paid two of his children €84,000 for little apparent actual work.
On 6 February 2017 Fillon held a press conference. He said "It was a mistake and I apologize to the French
eople but also said that the salary of his wife was "perfectly justified".
On 3 March 2017, the
OCLCIFF (Central office for the fight against corruption and financial and fiscal crime) executed a search at the Manoir de Beaucé where François and Penelope Fillon reside in the
Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
department. This followed a search by the same agency on 2 March 2017 at the Fillons' Paris residence in the 7th arrondissement. On 6 March 2017, the inner circle of Fillon's party had a crisis meeting. Beforehand,
Alain Juppé
Alain Marie Juppé (; born 15 August 1945) is a French politician. A member of The Republicans (France), The Republicans, he was Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac, during which period he faced 1995 strikes ...
had definitively excluded becoming a replacement candidate. Fillon continues his candidacy, despite his promise (given on 26 January on TV) to withdraw from the race if subjected to criminal prosecution. On 23 March, Fillon said on national television that ''Bienvenue Place Beauvau'', a book co-authored by
Didier Hassoux of ''Le Canard enchaîné'', suggested President François Hollande ran a shadow cabinet to spread rumours about his opponents.
Hassoux denied this was the case.
On 24 February 2020, Fillon became one of the few Prime Ministers to ever go on trial. On 29 June 2020, he was convicted of fraud and misuse of funds, and sentenced to five years in prison - three of them suspended. Their lawyers appealed against the sentence and he remains free pending the outcome of the appeal. On 9 May 2022, a French appeals court reduced Fillon's prison sentence shortened to four years with three years suspended.
His wife Penelope would be given a suspended two-year prison sentence for the embezzlement charge, down from three years suspended.
The court maintained fines of €375,000 for each of them.
2F Conseil affair
In its 22 March 2017 issue, satirical weekly ''
Le Canard enchaîné
(; English: "The Chained Duck" or "The Chained Paper", as is French slang meaning "newspaper") is a satirical weekly newspaper in France. Its headquarters is in Paris.
Founded in 1915 during World War I, it features investigative journalism a ...
'' reported that Fillon had introduced a Lebanese billionaire to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a business forum in St. Petersburg in 2015 as part of a $50,000 contract for Fillon's 2F Conseil consulting firm.
Le Mans race
Having lived his whole life in the Le Mans area and having represented it politically, Fillon is an enthusiastic supporter of the city's
24-hour sportscar race, which he has attended nearly every year since he was a small child. He is a member of the
Automobile Club de l'Ouest
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (English: Automobile Club of the West), sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the orga ...
, which stages the event, and is on the race's organisation committee. He has also competed in the
Le Mans Legend
The Le Mans Legend is a vintage sports car race held during the 24 Hours of Le Mans festivities. Created in 2001, it was created by the Motor Racing Legends group, and supported by the ACO, organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Unlike other vin ...
historic sportscar races on the full 24-hour
circuit and in a number of other classic road rallies. Fillon's younger brother Pierre currently serves as the President of the ACO, having been elected in 2013.
Awards and honours
*:
** Grand Officer of the
Order of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
(2012)
**
![Ordre national du Merite GC ribbon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Ordre_national_du_Merite_GC_ribbon.svg)
Grand Cross of the
Ordre national du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's estab ...
(21 November 2007 – Automatic six months after taking office)
**
![Palmes academiques Commandeur ribbon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Palmes_academiques_Commandeur_ribbon.svg)
Commander of the
Ordre des Palmes académiques
A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...
(2004)
*:
**
![JPN Toka-sho BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/JPN_Toka-sho_BAR.svg)
Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Paulownia Flowers
The is an order presented by the Japanese government. Established in 1888 during the Meiji Restoration as the highest award in the Order of the Rising Sun; however, since 2003 it has been an Order in its own right. The only grade of the order i ...
**
![JPN Kyokujitsu-sho 1Class BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/JPN_Kyokujitsu-sho_1Class_BAR.svg)
Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...
(9 May 2013)
References
External links
François Fillon's blog
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fillon, Francois
1954 births
Candidates in the 2017 French presidential election
20th-century French lawyers
French Ministers of National Education
French Ministers of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones
French people of Basque descent
Politicians convicted of fraud
Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite
Living people
Nicolas Sarkozy
Paris Descartes University alumni
People from Le Mans
Politicians from Pays de la Loire
Politicians of the French Fifth Republic
Prime Ministers of France
Rally for the Republic politicians
Union for a Popular Movement politicians
The Republicans (France) politicians
French Ministers of the Environment
Deputies of the 13th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
Deputies of the 14th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
Senators of Sarthe
French politicians convicted of crimes