France's Fillon fights on despite judicial summons

By Hajer M’tiri

PARIS (AA) - French presidential candidate Francois Fillon insisted on Wednesday he would not quit the race for the Elysee despite being summoned to appear before judges over allegations he provided bogus parliamentary jobs for members of his family.

The conservative politician will appear before magistrates on March 15.

Last week a formal judicial investigation was opened into suspected "misuse of public money" surrounding the allegations.

“The rule of law has been systematically violated," an angry Fillon told a news conference, adding: “The presumption of innocence has been entirely eliminated.”

“It is indeed a political assassination. It is also the presidential election being assassinated,” he said.

"I will not yield, I will not surrender, I will not withdraw, I will go to the end… Yes I will be a candidate for the presidency of the Republic," Fillon insisted.

Fillon also abruptly canceled a Wednesday morning visit to a high-profile agriculture fair, a key campaign event for every presidential candidate.

The 62-year-old former prime minister, who had initially said he would drop out of the race should a formal investigation be opened, earlier denied any wrongdoing and said he would cooperate with the judges’ summons.

Last Friday, Marine Le Pen, the far-right National Front candidate, refused to respond to a summons in another probe into whether she used European Parliament funds to pay party staff.