Francois Fillon has denied reports that he twice gave his British wife severance pay from an allegedly fake job.

Le Canard Enchaine claims the embattled conservative presidential candidate paid Penelope Fillon a total of £38,000 (€45,000) from public funds after she stopped working as his parliamentary aide in 2002 and 2013.

The weekly says Mrs Fillon was originally given severance pay after her husband entered the French government, even though she already had a new aide job, arranged at her husband's request, working for the lawmaker who replaced him.

Mr Fillon, who has been fighting to save his candidacy over the so-called Penelopegate scandal, said in a statement that the reports were "lies" and that "only a will to harm can explain this false presentation".

Image: Marine Le Pen (L) and Emmanuel Macron (R) stand to benefit from Mr Fillon's difficulties

Some polls suggest the one-time favourite to succeed Francois Hollande now faces elimination in the first round of voting, with the Front National's Marine Le Pen and independent Emmanuel Macron making it through to the final run-off in May.


With the poll just two months away, the political scrapping looked to become increasingly fierce as Mr Macron was also forced to defend himself, in his case against rumours he was having a gay affair.

The 39-year-old, who is married to his much-older teacher Brigitte Trogneux, attempted to end speculation by saying: "Those who want to spread the idea that I am a fake, that I have hidden lives or something else, first of all, it's unpleasant for Brigitte."

"She shares my whole life from morning till night. I don't have a double life and I'm attached more than anything else to my family and married life."

Mr Fillon has so far refused to abandon his Elysee Palace bid, saying he is the victim of a media plot.

In a TV appearance on Monday, he attempted to relaunch his campaign, insisting the jobs for his family were real and legal.

Image: Nicolas Sarkozy is accused of illegally financing his 2012 campaign

But he admitted it was an "error" to employ family members - a practice permitted under French law but viewed with scepticism by voters.

Le Canard Enchaine claimed that investigators had found "no material evidence" that Mr Fillon's wife - born in Abergavenny, South Wales - had carried out the work she was paid £3,100 (€3,700) a month for.

French prosecutors are working on a preliminary investigation into possible "misuse of public funds" over the jobs for the former prime minister's wife and two of his children.

The centre-right Republicans party suffered another blow on Tuesday after it emerged former president Nicolas Sarkozy is facing trial on charges of illegally financing his failed 2012 re-election bid.