Fillon faces judgment: what happens next after the scandal?

Fillon faces judgment: what happens next after the scandal?

In France there was once again a clash between politics and jurisprudence. Former Prime Minister François Fillon awaits his verdict on Tuesday, June 15, 2025, in a third trial centered on his involvement in his wife's fictitious workplace affair. This scandalous story, which made headlines back in 2017 during his presidential candidacy, led to a final conviction for embezzlement of public funds. As Brut.media reports, the Paris Court of Appeal is expected to announce what sentence Fillon will receive after 1:30 p.m. Surprisingly, the 71-year-old will not be there in person.

Ahead of the verdict, the public prosecutor demanded four years' imprisonment with probation as well as a fine of 375,000 euros and ten years' incapacity to hold office at a hearing on April 29th. These demands follow an earlier verdict dated May 9, 2022, which also sentenced Fillon to four years in prison, of which, however, two years were without parole. The new hearing is the result of a decision by the Court of Cassation, which in 2024 classified the previous prison sentence as insufficiently justified and ordered a new trial to review the penalties and compensation claims, as [Le Monde].

The main actors and their punishments

For François Fillon, who reports an annual income of 485,000 euros, this affair will continue to have profound consequences. Not only is he himself the focus of justice, but his wife Penelope was also convicted. She received a suspended sentence of two years in prison and a fine of 375,000 euros. Marc Joulaud, another defendant, was sentenced to three years in prison with probation and five years of incapacity to hold office. Together, the three defendants will have to pay a total of around 800,000 euros in damages to the National Assembly, which makes the whole matter even more complicated since the appeal court will also decide on parts of these payments that were deemed incorrect.

What is particularly explosive is that Fillon has argued that many parliamentarians have acted in similar cases and he has no plans to return to politics, although he sees ineligibility as a “moral violation”. The debate about how fictitious employment relationships are handled and whether there have been similar cases across the political spectrum remains a hot topic. The discussion about his punishments and claims for damages is occupying lawyers and the media, with the National Assembly emphasizing that there are also MPs whose spouses were actually deployed, as Spiegel.de notes.

The next steps

The appeal court's ruling is eagerly awaited by many. In the context of this lengthy legal process, the question arises as to whether the political scandals in France are finally being systematically addressed. The Fillon case could potentially be seen as a turning point when it comes to corruption among high-ranking politicians. If the judiciary takes a clear position and draws legal consequences, similar scandals could be avoided in the future - or the debate about political responsibility could only increase.

This makes it all the more important to follow the events and their consequences carefully, because every process brings new aspects to light. The decision of the Paris Court of Appeal will be made public next week and could be groundbreaking.