Verdict in the Fillon affair: fate finally sealed after 8 years!

Verdict in the Fillon affair: fate finally sealed after 8 years!

On June 17, 2025, at 1:30 p.m., the Cour d'appel de Paris will decide on the punishment for François Fillon, one of France's most prominent political actors in recent years. The decision comes more than eight years after the first revelations about the fictitious workplaces of his wife, Penelope Fillon, and once again shines a spotlight on one of the biggest political scandals of the post-war period.

The charges against the former prime minister, popularly known as “Penelopegate,” not only derailed his political ambitions in 2017, when he was running for president, but also led to devastating legal consequences. Fillon was sentenced on May 9, 2022 to four years in prison, of which one year was set without parole, as well as a fine of 375,000 euros and ten years of incapacity to hold office. The legal disputes came to a head when the Cour de Cassation ordered a new trial in April 2023 to review the sentences imposed on him and to determine whether they were sufficiently justified. Reported on this Le Monde, that the sentences for Fillon and his former assistant Marc Joulaud, who was also convicted, were not sufficiently justified.

The legal consequences

As already mentioned, Fillon was sentenced in the first instance in 2020 to five years in prison, with a non-parole period of two years. Penelope Fillon received two years probation and a fine of 375,000 euros. Marc Joulaud was also given a suspended sentence of three years in prison. The three convicts must also pay around 800,000 euros in damages to the National Assembly, although the negotiation on special compensation of 126,167 euros for Penelope Fillon's assistance contract is still pending. Loud Le Figaro the Fillons have already started making repayments to the National Assembly.

At a hearing in April before the Court of Appeal, the public prosecutor's office demanded a sentence of four years with probation, which was identical to the lower court's demands, but with an increase in the prison term of one year without parole. This tension between legal requirements and public perception makes the situation extremely precarious for Fillon and his family. He himself complained that the ten years of incapacity for office represented a “moral wound,” even though he has no plans to return to politics.

A look at the future

The public and political relevance of the case remains high, and allegations of corruption in the public service in France are not a new phenomenon. A more comprehensive look at corruption among public officials can be found at Mirror, where similar cases and their impact on the political landscape are examined.

So as we await today's verdict and wait to see how the justice system will ultimately assess the case, the question remains: What will become of a man whose career is now forever scarred by this scandal? The next few hours could be decisive for François Fillon and at the same time shed light on another shadowy tapestry of politics.