SHARE
COPY LINK

ELECTION

The Fillon Fight: A timeline of the extraordinary fake jobs scandal

François Fillon has vowed once again to battle on in his bid to become French president. This timeline is testament to both Fillon's determination and front and also the risks he is facing.

The Fillon Fight: A timeline of the extraordinary fake jobs scandal
Photo: AFP
It all began on….
 
January 25th
 
Satirical newspaper Canard Enchainé reveals that François Fillon's wife Penelope earned €500,000 as a parliamentary assistant over a number of years working for both her husband and another MP Marc Jouland.
 
The paper could not find anyone who could vouch for Penelope Fillon actually having done any work to justify the salary therefor suggesting the job was “fictif”, made up or fake, in English.
 
Later that day the the public financial prosecutiors opens a preliminary inquiry into “misuse of public funds and abuse of social benefits and concealing these offenses”.
 
 
January 26th
 
The next day, Fillon's team begin the counter-offensive and the candidate appears on French TV channel TF1 condemning the allegations as “slander” aimed at “attacking his wife”.
 
But he also reveals that he employed his two children to work for him during his time as a senator, but insists it was only for “specific tasks” and that they were hired for their skills as lawyers. 
 
Fillon also announces that he will “sue the newspapers that said his wife had a fake job”.
 
Crucially though he promises to step down if he is placed under formal investigation, in other words if he is charged with an offense.
 
January 28th
 
It is revealed that, contrary to his statement on TF1, Francois Fillon's two children were not officially lawyers at the time when he employed them, something which his team dismissed as an “imprecision of language”.
 
 
January 30th
 
Francois Fillon and his wife are called in to give their statements at the central anti-corruption and fiscal fraud office as part of the preliminary investigation.
 
January 31st
 
Police search Fillon's office at the National Assembly, looking for proof of tasks completed by Penelope Fillon. It emerges she had no security pass or email address.
 
 
 
February 1st
 
In the new edition of Canard Enchainé, the newspaper changes its original figure of €500,000, now saying Penelope Fillon received a gross sum of €831,440 for her “work” for her husband and his former deputy Marc Jouland as well as for a literary review.
 
Francois Fillon continues to deny any wrongdoing, dismissing the whole affair as simply “very professional slander”.
 
MPs in Fillon's Republicans party are starting to get twitchy and there is open talk of a “plan B”. But no one wants to step forward as an alternative to Fillon out of fear of being seen to stab him in the back.
 
Alain Juppé who lost out to Fillon in the second round of the primary election rules himself out of being a replacement for Fillon, should the candidate decide to quit.
 
February 2nd 
 
A video in which Francois Fillon's wife, Penelope, told a British journalist she has “never been the assistant” of her husband was aired on French TV.
 
Envoyé spécial, a French investigative TV programme, showed the ten-year-old footage of Penelope in which she told the Sunday Telegraph she had not worked for her husband.
 
“I've never been his assistant,” she reportedly said giving more ammunition to those who believe Fillon has a case to answer.  
 
 
February 3rd
 
Fillon's ratings continue to fall, an Oxoda study for FranceInfo reveals that six out of 10 French people think that he should resign from his presidential bid.
 
Fillon releases a video on Facebook, speaking to camera he saying he “understands” the “trouble” surrounding the affair but “will stand firm”.
 
February 6th 
 
Just when it looks like Fillon will announce he is stepping aside, he uses a hastily organised press conference at his campaign HQ to insist he did nothing wrong and claim his wife's salary was entirely justified.
 
He did however apologize to the French people, admitting that employing his wife and children was “a mistake”.
 
“I apologise to the French people,” he said, admitting it was an “error” that he regretted “deeply”. But he steadfastly refused to stand aside.
 
February 13th
 
On the eve of Valentine's Day there was more bad news for Fillon as rebel Republican MPs held a meeting to demand a solution to the crisis and the latest polls show his popularity continuing to fall.
 
As he struggles to relaunch his campaign surveys suggest Fillon will no longer make the second round of the election, but will be beaten by both Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron.
 
 
February 16th
 
Much to Fillon's anger the financial prosecutor sends out a statement insisting the probe won't be dropped.
 
February 18th 
 
Fillon goes back on his pledge of January 26th and now says even if he is charged he will continue his campaign.
 
February 24th
 
An official judicial probe is launched against François Fillon and Penelope and magistrates are put in charge of an investigation into various alleged offences including misuse of public money.
 
 
March 1st
 
Fillon cancels a visit to the international farm show in Paris prompting speculation he is about quit. But once again he surprises everyone and instead comes out fighting.
 
He does though confirm he will be charged or placed under formal investigation by the magistrates, but the blasts the conspiracy against him.

“The rule of law has been systematically violated,” he said adding “The presumption of innocence has been entirely eliminated.”

“It is indeed a political assassination. But it's not just me they are killing, it is also the presidential election itself.”

“It is the freedom of the vote and democracy that is being violently attacked,” he added.

So what's next…

He is set to meet with magistrates on March 15th where he will be formally placed under official investigation. Fillon is likely to remain under formal investigation until the election, the first round of which is on April 23rd.

His refusal to step aside means he will now have to campaign with a cloud over his head, but he says only the French public can judge him.

We will soon find out what they think.

ELECTION

German Greens’ chancellor candidate Baerbock targeted by fake news

With Germany's Green party leading the polls ahead of September's general elections, the ecologists' would-be successor to Angela Merkel has become increasingly targeted by internet trolls and fake news in recent weeks.

German Greens' chancellor candidate Baerbock targeted by fake news
The Greens chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock on April 26th. Photo: DPA

From wild claims about CO2-emitting cats and dogs to George Soros photo collages, 40-year-old Annalena Baerbock has been the subject of a dizzying array of fake news, conspiracy theories and online attacks since she was announced as the Greens’ chancellor candidate in mid-April.

The latest polls have the Greens either ahead of or level with Merkel’s ruling conservatives, as the once fringe party further establishes itself as a leading electoral force in Europe’s biggest economy.

Baerbock herself also consistently polls higher than her conservative and centre-left rivals in the race to succeed Merkel, who will leave office after 16 years this autumn.

Yet her popularity has also brought about unwanted attention and a glut of fake news stories aimed at discrediting Baerbock as she bids to become Germany’s first Green chancellor.

READ ALSO:

False claims

Among the false stories circulating about Baerbock is the bizarre claim that she wants to ban household pets in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Another fake story firmly denied by the party claimed that she defied rules on mask-wearing and social-distancing by embracing colleagues upon her nomination earlier this month.

Baerbock has also been presented as a “model student” of Hungarian billionaire George Soros – a hate figure for the European far-right and anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists – in a mocked-up social media graphic shared among others by a far-right MP.

More serious online attacks include a purported photo of Baerbock which in fact shows a similar-looking naked model.

The Greens’ campaign manager Michael Kellner said that the attempts to discredit Baerbock had “taken on a new dimension”, that “women are targeted more heavily by online attacks than men, and that is also true of our candidate”.

Greens co-leader Annalena Baerbock earlier this month. Photo: DPA

Other false claims about the party include reports of a proposed ban on barbecues, as well as plans to disarm the police and enforce the teaching of the Quran in schools.

While such reports are patently absurd, they are potentially damaging to Baerbock and her party as they bid to spring a surprise victory in September.

“She has a very real chance, but the coming weeks are going to be very important because Baerbock’s public image is still taking shape,” Thorsten Faas, a political scientist at Berlin’s Free University told AFP.

In a bid to fight back against the flood of false information, the party has launched a new “online fire service” to report fake news stories.

READ ALSO: Greens become ‘most popular political party’ in Germany

Russian disinformation

Yet stemming the tide is no easy job, with many of those who peddle disinformation now using private messaging services such as WhatsApp and Telegram rather than public platforms such as Facebook.

The pandemic and ongoing restrictions on public life will also make it harder for the campaign to push through their own narratives at public events.

Miro Dittrich of Germany’s Amadeu-Antonio anti-racism foundation claims that lockdown has “played a role” in the spread of fake news.

“People are isolated from their social environment and are spending a lot more time online,” he said.

Another factor is Russia, which has made Germany a primary target of its efforts to spread disinformation in Europe.

According to the European anti-disinformation platform EUvsDisinfo, Germany has been the target of 700 Russian disinformation cases since 2015, compared to 300 aimed at France and 170 at Italy.

As an outspoken critic of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Germany and Russia, Baerbock may well become a target of such attacks during the election campaign.

By Mathieu FOULKES

SHOW COMMENTS