World Bulletin / News Desk

French presidential candidate Francois Fillon said Wednesday he will not pull out of the campaign despite admitting he is to be charged over allegations he paid his wife and children for fake jobs.

"From the start, I have not been treated like anyone else facing the justice system," Fillon said in a statement to reporters, claiming he was the victim of a "political assassination".

"It's not just me they are killing, but the French presidential election," he said.

Fillon had earlier led the race ahead of the elections in April and May but the allegations had cost him support and he has fallen behind far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron.