Trump’s new brotherhood: The former president joins leaders from around the world who have criminal convictions

A fake job scandal resulted in a criminal conviction for France’s former Prime Minister Francois Fillon.

Francois Fillon was prime minister of France from 2007 until 2012.

In 2017, Fillon was accused of paying his wife, Penelope Fillon, with public funds for 15 years under the pretence that she was an employee, according to a Le Canard Enchaîné report cited by Le Monde.

Fillon was convicted for corruption charges in 2020 and was originally given a five-year prison sentence. He lost an appeal against the charges in 2022, and was given a reduced four-year prison sentence with just one year in prison, Euro News reported.

He was banned from qualifying for public office for 10 years, the outlet said.

He was also fined 375,000 euros, or around $407,000, according to Le Monde and Euro News. Penelope, meanwhile, was ordered to pay the same fine and was given a two-year suspended sentence for embezzlement, the outlets said.

They were also ordered to repay the 800,000 euros, or around $870,120, to the Assemblée Nationale, part of the French Parliament which originally paid Penelope.