“These accusations are very serious.” The National Rally group called on Thursday for the creation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the “Marianne Fund”, after a series of revelations on the use of subsidies allocated to this fund against separatism, created after the assassination of the teacher Samuel Paty.
Marine Le Pen’s group in the National Assembly quotes in particular a joint investigation by the weekly Marianne and France 2 broadcast at the end of March, describing an opaque management of this fund launched in 2021 by Marlène Schiappa, then Minister Delegate for Citizenship. According to the investigation, the association which would be the main beneficiary, the Union of Physical Education and Military Preparation Societies (USEPPM), would have used it for a website and publications on social networks very little followed, and to pay two of its ex-leaders.
The RN also refers to more recent revelations from Mediapart, according to which “another structure received more than 300,000 euros when it had just been created and had no known activity”. “Under cover of the fight against separatism”, according to Mediapart, she would have “broadcast political content against opponents of Emmanuel Macron during the presidential and legislative campaigns”.
“False and misleading” according to the Schiappa cabinet
“These accusations are extremely serious and raise questions about the role of Marlène Schiappa in this affair when she claimed in June 2022 to have validated personally, with her cabinet, the choice of beneficiaries and the breakdown of subsidies”, estimated the RN group in a statement.
A motion for a resolution “aiming at the creation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry” on the management of the fund was tabled by the deputies of the group. A vote of the Assembly would be necessary for it to be launched. “Talking about embezzlement or campaign financing is false and misleading”, reacted to AFP, the cabinet of Marlène Schiappa.