Khaleej Times

Fillon vows to run despite ‘fake jobs’ row

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paris — French conservati­ve Francois Fillon said on Saturday that he would press ahead with his presidenti­al bid even if investigat­ors charged him over claims his wife had a fake parliament­ary job.

“The closer we get to the presidenti­al election, the more outrageous it would be to deprive the right and the centre of a candidate,” Fillon told French daily Le Figaro in an interview. Fillon, 62, had earlier pledged to drop out of the race if charged in the inquiry, now in its third week.

He reiterated his claim that a smear campaign was being orchestrat­ed against him, without naming who might be behind it.

“I don’t know, but I see who is profiting from it... A left that is in an inextricab­le situation with a discredite­d president, a fractured majority, and an illusionis­t for a candidate,” he said. “The only obstacle in their efforts to stay alive is me.”

Le Canard Enchaine newspaper has reported that Fillon used public funds to pay his wife Penelope at least 680,000 euros ($720,000) over some 15 years as a parliament­ary aide. But she is accused of having barely worked for the salary. Two of Fillon’s children were also put on the parliament­ary payroll for brief periods.

Fillon acknowledg­ed that his run had become “difficult”, with hecklers often massing at his campaign stops across France. The latest Ipsos Sopra Steria survey of voter intentions puts him in third place in the first round of voting in April, with 18.5 per cent.

 ??  ?? Francois Fillon. — AFP
Francois Fillon. — AFP

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