The High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life (HATVP) announced, Tuesday, November 29, to take legal action concerning the declaration of assets of the now former Minister Delegate for Local Authorities, Caroline Cayeux, suspecting a possible “false assessment of his heritage” and a susceptible “tax fraud”.
“Following an in-depth review of the declarations of Mrs Caroline Cayeux, former Minister Delegate in charge of local authorities, the High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life decided to inform the public prosecutor of facts likely to characterize offenses criminal”explains the administrative authority in a press release published at the end of the afternoon.
Ms. Cayeux announced her resignation from the government on Monday, before the publication of her declaration of assets, highlighting a disagreement with the HATVP which considered that it was “undervalued”. A matter sensitive enough for the two heads of the executive to have asked, without much hesitation, the former mayor of Beauvais to retire from government.
Alerted “from 2021” of a “strong undervaluation”
In its press release published on Tuesday, the HATVP advances “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 approximately half of the overall value of these two properties”.
“However, Mrs. Cayeux had been alerted by the High Authority as early as 2021, when checking her declaration of financial situation established as mayor of Beauvais, of the strong undervaluation of her main residence and the risks that she incurred in case of repetition “, completes the HATVP, adding: “She also sold property herself at the same address for a price per m² that was much higher than that declared. In fact, she could not ignore the true value of it. »
« The fact that, following numerous exchanges with the High Authority, Mrs Cayeux proceeded, on November 23, 2022, to the filing of amending declarations does not, however, make this offense disappear.finally notes the administrative authority.