French prosecutor keeps Fillon fake work probe open

France's financial prosecutor said on Thursday she would pursue an investigation into embesslement allegations surrounding presidential candidate Francois Fillon, dealing a new blow to the ex-prime minister's faltering election campaign.

A three-week-old scandal over allegations that Fillon gave his wife a non-existant job as his parliamentary aide for hundreds of thousands of euros in taxpayers' money, has led the conservative his status as favorite to win the presidential election in May.

The prosecutor's office said Thursday it received the initial police report into the case and will continue investigating. "It is my duty to affirm that the numerous elements collected (by investigators) do not, at this stage, permit the case to be dropped," prosecutor Eliane Houlette said in a statement.

She did not announce further steps. Among her choices are dropping the case, taking it further by appointing an investigating magistrate, or sending it straight to trial.

Fillon, 62, who has denied any wrongdoing, has said he would step down should he be put under formal.

The favourite to win is now the centrist Emmanuel Macron, according to opinion polls, but by a very narrow margin over Fillon, who represents the centre-right Republicans.

Opinion polls also suggested that far-right Front National leader Marine Le Pen will win the first round on 23 April but then lose in a 7 May run-off.