Breaches that could be qualified as offenses. The High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life seized the public prosecutor on Tuesday after confirmation that the former minister Caroline Cayeux had undervalued her assets in her declaration, suspecting “tax evasion” and a “false evaluation “.
“The High Authority noted that the declaration of Mrs Cayeux’s financial situation included significant reductions in the value of her property, of the order of 2,400,000 euros for her main residence located in Paris and 1,500,000 euros for a house located in Ille-et-Vilaine, i.e. a reduction of around half of the overall value of these two properties”, underlines the HATVP in a press release.
The ex-minister warned from 2021
Arguing that Caroline Cayeux “had been alerted by the High Authority from 2021”, when she was still mayor of Beauvais, and that she herself sold “property at the same address for a price per square meter very clearly higher than that declared”, “she could not ignore the fair value”, estimates the HATVP.
“These shortcomings are likely to characterize the offense of misleading valuation of its heritage”, continues the HATVP, which also suspects the former minister of “tax evasion”. Consequently, the HATVP informed the public prosecutor.
The now ex-Minister Delegate for Local Authorities, and former mayor of Beauvais, announced Monday her resignation from the government because of her dispute with the HATVP. “Following my declaration of assets, the High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life told me that it considered it undervalued”, explained Caroline Cayeux in a press release.
She claimed to have “taken into account his observations” and to have “aligned” but, “despite this, the High Authority for the transparency of public life persists in questioning my sincerity”.