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Monday, March 13, 2017

French presidential candidate François Fillon rebutted criticism on Monday about his receiving gifts of clothing, expensive suits, from an unidentified benefactor to the value of €48,500, with: ‘so what?’

Le Journal du Dimanche reported that on February 20, a young woman connected to the Republican candidate paid for two suits at Arnys, a high-end Parisian fashion boutique, worth €13,000 in total. It also alleged that since 2012, the same woman purchased a number of clothing items for Fillon worth a collective €35,500. French law prohibits any individual from donating more than €4,600 to a political candidate.

Speaking to Les Échos, Fillon described the purchase in February as a gift from a friend. A staffer in the Fillon campaign said he also doubted the validity of the claims, believing “no serious store would accept cash payments in such amounts.”

The accusations are a further blow to Fillon’s presidential campaign, which has been tarnished by a payment scandal and his failure to declare a €50,000 loan. Le Canard enchaîné reported last month that Fillon used public money to pay his wife Penelope over €800,000 for a job she did not perform as his parliamentary assistant. He still faces the possibility of being charged with embezzlement over the affair. Last week, it also emerged that Fillon had forgotten to declare a €50,000 loan from billionaire Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière. According to Fillon’s lawyer, the loan has been repaid in full.

Once favoured to win the election in May, Fillon is now unlikely to make the final runoff vote according to current opinion polls.

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