François Fillon 'was paid $50,000 to arrange meeting between Putin and Lebanese billionaire'

The French presidential candidate François Fillon has been hit by allegations he was paid $50,000 to arrange a meeting between a Lebanese billionaire and Vladimir Putin as prosecutors investigating whether his wife was paid for fake jobs widened their inquiry to look into whether she signed forged documents.

Satirical French newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné has alleged that the former Prime Minister used his contacts to facilitate two meetings for Fouad Makhzoumi in 2015; one with the Kremlin leader and another with Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné. 

The latest allegations follow claims by the Mediapart journal that 2F Conseil signed a contract with Future Pipe Industries in 2015, a company owned by the Lebanese businessman.

Fillon’s campaign said the contract between 2F Conseil, Fillon’s consulting firm, and Makhzoumi was intended to help the businessman expand his oil pipe business. It confirmed a meeting between Putin, Makhzoumi and the candidate, but denied there had been any wrongdoing.

Makhzoumi joined Fillon’s meeting with Putin at an economic conference in St Petersburg in June 2015, according to a photo on the Kremlin’s website. The Kremlin did not disclose the subject of the meeting.

Fillon is advocating a dramatic change of tack with Moscow, favouring lifting economic sanctions imposed by the EU after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. He is also pushing for a military alliance with Putin and the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad to combat ISIS.

In November, before the embezzlement claims engulfed Fillon’s campaign, Putin hailed his “very good relationship” with the politician, praising his plans for a rapprochement with Moscow. “For all his European manners, in the best sense of that word, he is always able to argue for his point of view in a very tough and consistent manner, in that sense he is a tough negotiator. But of course he is a highly professional and decent man,” Putin said then.

Fillon has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing with regard to the embezzlement allegations, and refused to bow out of the presidential race, despite promising to drop his leadership bid if he was put under official investigation.