the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office opens a judicial investigation for suspicions of embezzlement of public funds

2023-05-04 18:04:55

The Secretary of State in charge of the social and solidarity economy and associative life, Marlène Schiappa, here at the National Assembly in November 2022. THOMAS SAMSON / AFP

The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) opened, Thursday, May 4, a judicial investigation relating, in particular, to suspicions of embezzlement of public funds in the management of the Marianne fund, created in 2021 to fight against separatism, announced the PNF, confirming information from France Inter.

The management of this Marianne fund, launched in April 2021 by Minister Marlène Schiappa – then Minister Delegate for Citizenship – a few months after the assassination of Professor Samuel Paty to promote “Values ​​of the Republic”has been the subject of several reports to the courts after revelations from the weekly Marianneof France 2 et Mediapart on the use of grants allocated to two associations. The judicial investigation relates to suspicions of embezzlement of public funds, embezzlement of public funds by negligence, breach of trust and illegal taking of interests.

At the beginning of April, the cabinet of M^me Schiappa said he had entered the General Administration Inspectorate (IGA) for an audit on this file. The IGA report will be “delivered at the end of June”, declared the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin. According to the joint investigation of Marianne and France 2 broadcast at the end of March, the main beneficiary structure of the funds (an association called USEPPM), up to 355,000 euros, would have only fed a website and publications with very little follow on social networks. Some 120,000 euros were used to pay two of its ex-leaders.

Mediapart then revealed that several left-wing personalities, including the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo (Socialist Party), had been denigrated in content posted online by another structure benefiting from the fund, Rebuild the common, which obtained 330,000 euros.

The announcement of the PNF comes the day after the vote, by the Senate Finance Committee, of a request for a commission of inquiry on this subject. If this is acted upon, the finance commission will then have the important prerogatives attributed to the commissions of inquiry for three months: the people it wishes to hear are thus required to respond to the summons and take an oath.

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The World with AFP