PARIS, February 5 (Reuters) – The mayor of Pau and president of MoDem, François Bayrou, was acquitted on Monday while he was on trial before the Paris criminal court for complicity by instigation in embezzlement of public funds, several media reported.
The case concerns the remuneration of parliamentary assistants of MoDem MEPs with funds from the European Parliament while these assistants worked for the benefit of the centrist party.
The revelation of the affair, in the spring of 2017, caused the resignation of François Bayrou from his post as Minister of Justice, just one month after his appointment.
The prosecution had requested a 30-month suspended prison sentence for him, a fine of 70,000 euros and three years of suspended ineligibility. (Written by Blandine Hénault, edited by Sophie Louet)
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