Le Pen challenger refuses to withdraw from France election

French conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon says he will not withdraw from the election despite having received a summons to face preliminary charges in an investigation into an alleged fake jobs scheme.

Fillon tells reporters that his lawyers received the summons today. He denies all allegations and says legal procedure was not properly followed in what he called a political assassination and unprecedented probe during the election campaign for the two-round April-May election.

“I will not withdraw,” he tells reporters at his campaign headquarters. Fillon was once the front-runner for the two-round April-May election but his ratings have slipped because of the investigation. He is seen as a strong challenger to the far-right National Front candidate Marine Le Pen.

— with AP