France opens full fake jobs inquiry into candidate Fillon
Source: Associated Press
Elaine Ganley, Associated Press Updated 4:24 pm, Friday, February 24, 2017
PARIS (AP) — The French financial prosecutor's office decided Friday to open a judicial inquiry surrounding the allegedly fake parliamentary aide jobs that conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon gave to his wife and two of his children, pushing the case to a higher and riskier level for the man hoping to become the next president of France.
The announcement came as Fillon was holding a rally outside Paris. The conservative candidate was once the frontrunner in polls, but his ratings slipped with the probe into payments to family members that totaled more than 1 million euros ($1.1 million) over many years.
After a preliminary investigation opened Jan. 25, the financial prosecutor's office decided to escalate and enlarge the case, turning it over to investigating judges who can bring charges or throw the case out. Critically, however, no one was named in the judicial investigation on a list of charges, including misappropriation of public funds, abuse of public funds and influence trafficking.
It was a sign that the prosecutor's office intends to question others, enlarging the circle of those who risk being charged and adding new investigators, an official in the prosecutor's office said, refusing to state how many people are concerned.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/French-open-full-fake-jobs-inquiry-into-candidate-10957329.php
= new reply since forum marked as read
