Towards a trial for François Bayrou in the case of MoDem assistants

The Paris prosecutor’s office has demanded a trial for the president of the MoDem François Bayrou and twelve other people, suspected of having used European funds to hire parliamentary assistants but who would in fact have worked, at least partially, for the party between 2009 and 2014.

The public prosecutor indicated on Tuesday January 31 that he had requested that François Bayrou be tried before the criminal court for complicity in the embezzlement of public funds, like other executives of the UDF and the Modem of the time.

For his part, François Bayrou again challenged this Wednesday any fictitious job and others “processes” embezzlement of public funds within his party. “All this is false, including in their figure. We’ll show it.”reacted the president of the MoDem on RMC and BFMTV.

“With us, all those who were parliamentary assistants to MEPs had a part-time contract for the MEP and part-time for the movement”explained the centrist leader.

1,4 million d’euros

In its final indictment delivered on Monday, the prosecution also requested that the MoDem and UDF parties be tried, as a legal entity, for complicity in the embezzlement of public funds and concealment.

Among the twelve other people he requires dismissal are former Minister of Justice Michel Mercier and former MEPs Sylvie Goulard, Nathalie Griesbeck and Jean-Luc Bennahmias.

For those who were MEPs, the prosecution wants a trial for embezzlement of public funds. The final decision on the holding of a trial rests with the investigating judge hearing the case. The parties can now submit their observations to him.

The survey is aimed at the organization of the work of people hired with European credits as parliamentary assistants for MEPs, but who could have held a job, full or part time, at the UDF then at the MoDem. The investigations mainly target the 2009-2014 European legislature but also, to a lesser extent, the previous and subsequent legislatures. The damage to the European Parliament is assessed at 1.4 million euros.

“Keep your party alive at a lower cost”

According to a report issued in April 2021 by the police officers of the Anti-Corruption Office (Oclciff), the centrist party has set up a “old and more or less informal system” embezzlement of European funds to pay its employees.

“To keep his party alive and ensure its operation at a lower cost, François Bayrou and Marielle de Sarnez, supported by party executives, put at the service of the UDF, then the MoDem, parliamentary assistants paid by the European Parliament”summarize the investigators.

The Paris prosecutor’s office had opened an investigation in March 2017 after the denunciation of a former elected representative of the National Front, Sophie Montel, on the fictitious jobs of collaborators of nineteen of her colleagues from all sides, including Marielle de Sarnez – who died in January 2021 – right arm of party president François Bayrou and former MEP Robert Rochefort.

Three months later, a former MoDem collaborator, Matthieu Lamarre, claimed to have been partly paid in 2011 as an assistant to former MEP Jean-Luc Bennahmias while working for the centrist party in Paris.

Comparable surveys targeting LFI and the RN

These revelations had weakened the MoDem, President Emmanuel Macron’s main ally, and led to the resignation of François Bayrou, then Keeper of the Seals, Marielle de Sarnez (European Affairs) and Sylvie Goulard (Armies), a month after their entry into government. in 2017.

The MoDem has always ensured that it has “follow all the rules”. Robert Rochefort was not indicted during the investigation, but remained under the intermediate status of assisted witness. He cannot therefore be referred to the criminal court.

La France insoumise (LFI) and the National Rally (RN) are also targeted by comparable surveys. The file of the far-right party is also being closed.