French presidential hopeful Francois Fillon and his British-born wife Penelope will be indicted for fraud this week and could be sent for criminal trial immediately.

The 62-year-olds are currently under investigation for a range of charges including embezzlement after helping themselves to hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of taxpayers’ cash by setting up a series of allegedly fake jobs.

Mrs Fillon, a solicitor’s daughter from Wales, has been ‘fighting tooth and nail’ to prove she was secretly a high-powered parliamentary attaché and literary consultant for decades.

French presidential hopeful Francois Fillon and his British-born wife Penelope will be indicted for fraud this week and could be sent for criminal trial immediately

But she has provided zero ‘material proof’ to financial prosecutors, who will indict the couple this week, according to leaks from the enquiry published today by the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

This could prove fatal to the conservative Mr Fillon’s increasingly desperate campaign to become head of state following a two-round election this Spring.

After almost two week of detailed enquiries, the PNF financial prosecuting unit will release its conclusions this week.

They will certainly call for a criminal prosecution, and this could take the form of ‘a direct summons to criminal court,’ the newspaper reports.

Both Fillons face more than a decade each in prison if found guilty

Both Fillons face more than a decade each in prison if found guilty, but still insist they are popular enough to become President and First Lady of France this May.

This would allow them presidential immunity from prosecution, meaning they could technically postpone their trial until Mr Fillon has completed his five-year term of office.

However, the prospect of a family of alleged criminals living in the Elysee Palace is one that has seen Mr Fillon’s popularity rating plunge.

Current polls suggest that he will lose the first round of the elections, having been favourite to win outright before the scandal broke.

Charles and Marie, the couples two oldest children, are also said to have dishonestly taken on jobs as parliamentary assistants, earning thousands for doing nothing.

All charges have been denied by the Fillons.

Mrs Fillon earned money despite not being able to produce any emails or telephone records showing that she was a high-powered political aide.

The Fillons have not yet commented on today’s revelations, although last week their lawyers claimed the fraud enquiry into their personal fortune was illegal

She had no identification badge for the National Assembly in Paris, insisting that she worked ‘discreetly’ and ‘in the shadows’ at the couple’s sprawling manor house south west of Paris.

Both the Fillons, who are devout Roman Catholics, were also filmed categorically stating that Mrs Fillon did nothing except accompany her husband to events, and occasionally hand out leaflets.

The Fillons have not yet commented on today’s revelations, although last week their lawyers claimed the fraud enquiry into their personal fortune was illegal.