French presidential candidate Fillon denounces "institutional coup d'etat"

Embattled conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon on Wednesday accused the left-wing party of being behind his wife's fake job scandal, which he described "an institutional coup d'etat."

"We are facing an institutional coup d'etat. This affair does not come from us, it comes from the left," he was quoted as saying by local media.

The former prime minister asked conservative lawmakers to show "solidarity" and "hold on for 15 days," until financial investigators unveiled the outcome of the preliminary inquiry into allegations that Penelope Fillon had been paid more than 900,000 euros (969,750 U.S. dollars) for work as a parliamentary assistant and for a culture magazine she hadn't done, according to press claims.

The satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaine reported last week that the Republican presidential candidate hired two of his five children as parliamentary assistants when he was a senator. Both had earned 84,000 euros.

Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, government spokesperson Stephane Le Foll said Fillon's remarks were "unacceptable."

"Everyone must assume his responsibilities. The French are simply waiting for truth and transparency," Le Foll said. "Justice is investigating...in complete independence. It will do so til the end."

A week ago, financial prosecutors had opened a preliminary inquiry into the possible "misuse of public funds" and "misappropriation of assets" relating to Fillon's wife's "fictitious" job.

As the investigation gathers momentum, investigators searched French parliament on Tuesday. However, no material evidence, including an access badge and specific emails when she was a parliamentary assistant, were found during the raid, according to local reports.

Earlier this week, the Fillon couple was questioned. Last week, investigators searched the headquarters of the cultural journal that employed Penelope Fillon. They also seized files on the ex-prime minister held by France's official anti-corruption watchdog.

Under French law, it's legal for lawmakers to hire family members as their assistants, but it's illegal to pay them for a fictitious job. (1 euro=about 1.08 U.S. dollar) Endit