MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Francois Fillon, the candidate of France’s The Republicans party in the upcoming presidential elections, said Monday that everything said about him was "legal and transparent," calling his wife’s salary was justified amid a scandal related to her receiving state funds.
6 February 2017, 10:25 GMT
Fillon, who was initially one of the pollsters' favorites, saw his ratings drop after the scandal broke out in late January around his wife allegedly having been paid from state funds for jobs without exercising her duties.
"All the facts mentioned are legal and transparent," Fillon told a press conference.
He added that his wife’s "salary was perfectly justified because her action was indispensable."
The first round of the French presidential elections is scheduled for April 23, with the run-off slated for May 7.
