The centrist partists were indicted in December for “complicity and concealment of diversion of public funds” in the investigation involving fifteen people, including François Bayrou.
Le Monde
Investigations into European parliamentary assistants mark a new step forward. The Democratic Movement (Modem) and the Union for French Democracy (UDF) were indicted in December for “complicity and concealment of diversion of public funds” in the survey of suspicions of fictitious jobs of parliamentary assistants Centractive MEPs, we learned from sources close to the file, Thursday, January 6th.
Fifteen people, including François Bayrou, the former seal guard Michel Mercier and the former MEPs Sylvie Goulard, Nathalie Griesbeck and Jean-Luc Bennahmias, are already being pursued in this judicial information conducted since 2017 by investigating judges of the financial center of the judicial court of Paris.
The investigation concerns the organization of the work of people hired with European appropriations as parliamentary contributors for Europutés, but who could have been employed, full-time or partial, to the UDF. Modem. The UDF, swallowed by the modem during its creation in 2007, has kept a legal existence. Contacted, the lawyer of both parties did not wish to react.
1.4 million euros of prejudice for the European Parliament
The parquet of Paris had opened an investigation in March 2017 after the denunciation of an old elected of the National Front, Sophie Montel, on fictitious jobs of collaborators of nineteen of his colleagues of all banks, two of which of the modem. : Robert Rochefort and Marielle de Sarnez (Dead in January 2021), the alter ego of the president of the party François Bayrou.
These revelations had weakened the modem, the main ally of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and led to the resignation of Mr. Bayrou, then custody of the seals, of M me Sarnez (European affairs) and M me Goulard (armies), one month after their entry into the government. Judicial information has been open since July 2017, including “misappropriation of public funds”. The modem has always defended themselves by ensuring “respected all the rules”.
In 2019, a dozen centrist MEPs, leaders or former party executives were indicted for “diversion of public funds”. Among them m me Goulard, M me Sarz, Mr. Bennahmias and M me Griesbeck. Mr. Bayrou was indicted in December 2019 for “complicity of diversion of public funds” between June 2005 and January 2017.
According to a report in April 2021 by the Central Office for the fight against corruption and financial and fiscal offenses (OCLCIFF), in charge of investigations, the centrist party has set up an “old and more or less informal system “Diversion of European funds to salary its employees. “To make live your party and ensure its operation at a lower cost, François Bayrou and Marielle de Sarnez, supported by the Party executives, put at the service of the UDF, then the modem, of the parliamentary assistants paid by the European Parliament” , is it summarized. The harm of the European Parliament is estimated at 1.4 million euros.