Francois Fillon and wife questioned over payment row Published duration 30 January 2017 Related Topics France elections 2017

image copyright AFP image caption Mr Fillon (left) and his wife (right) were interviewed by police specialising in financial crime

French police have interviewed presidential candidate Francois Fillon and his wife Penelope over claims she was paid for fake work.

They provided information that would help find the "truth", Mr Fillon said.

Last week investigators began a preliminary inquiry into reports she earned €500,000 ($534,000; £428,000) as her husband's parliamentary assistant.

Le Canard Enchaine newspaper has questioned how much work she did for the money between 1998 and 2012.

Both the centre-right candidate and his Welsh-born wife deny any wrongdoing.

In a statement , he said that the information they provided to police would prove the work done by Mrs Fillon.

Mr Fillon said last week he was "outraged by the contempt and misogyny" in the newspaper's story.

He also said that he wanted to be heard by the investigators and would step down if put under formal investigation.

Republican jitters

The husband and wife were questioned separately by police specialising in financial crime, BBC Paris Correspondent Hugh Schofield says.

The whole affair is causing serious jitters in Mr Fillon's centre-right Republican party, he adds.

They are hoping that the documents provided to police are enough to show that Penelope Fillon did indeed earn the money she received.

Mr Fillon, 62, is the front-runner for the presidential election in April. National Front leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron are seen as his main challengers.

The practising Catholic is an admirer of Margaret Thatcher and defeated the more moderate Alain Juppe in a landslide at party primaries in November.