François Fillon, French Presidential Candidate, Is Charged With Embezzlement
Mr. Fillon had been summoned by investigative judges for Wednesday, but his lawyer said Tuesday
that he had asked that Mr. Fillon meet with them a day earlier to avoid a large news media stakeout.
Mr. Fillon’s lawyer said the son was repaying rent and "pocket money." Mr. Fillon’s opponents have been frustrated
that the scandal has dominated coverage of the campaign, drowning out all but the best-known candidates, and that Mr. Fillon did not keep his promise to drop out.
By AURELIEN BREEDENMARCH 14, 2017
PARIS — The French center-right presidential candidate François Fillon was charged with several counts
of embezzlement on Tuesday, further hobbling a campaign that he has nonetheless said he will continue.
The newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, which first published the reports, added on Sunday
that an anonymous benefactor paid in February for two suits worth about $13,800 for Mr. Fillon, prompting Parliament’s ethics ombudsman to open an inquiry.
On Monday, for example, Le Parisien reported that the son and daughter Mr. Fillon hired as aides transferred large sums to him during
that time, furthering suspicions that their jobs and Ms. Fillon’s were enrichment schemes.
Since the first revelations, polls have shown Mr. Fillon likely to be eliminated in a first round on April 23.
Since then, although Mr. Fillon, 63, has stabilized his standing in the polls, new revelations
in the news media of possible financial shenanigans have kept him down.