Francois Fillon

They were convicted by Paris court over a scheme to pay her thousands of euros for little work done

Fillon’s wife also found guilty for her role in scam that saw her receive about 1 million euros

Fillon denounces what he calls a dirty tricks campaign and denies having done anything illegal

His poll numbers have suffered and is now in third place behind Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen

Sarkozy piled pressure on the candidate ahead of a crisis meeting

The accusations against Fillon have added to an already unpredictable race

Fillon was due to have a lunch meeting later on Wednesday with Sarkozy

Immigration and security are top issues in the campaign for the presidential elections starting in April.