The HATVP considered as incompatible a potential departure of Jean-Baptiste Djebbari for CMA CGM
The High Authority for the transparency of public life (HATVP) had issued, on March 22, a notice of compliance with reservations on the seat of the former minister delegate for transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, within the council of administration of the listed company Hopium, which specializes in the design and construction of hydrogen-powered cars. An end-of-term adventure for the government of Jean Castex that our journalists Eric Béziat and Olivier Faye explained in this article.
Two other opinions issued since then by the HATVP show that Hopium is not Mr. Djebbari’s only ongoing professional project: on April 5, i.e. eleven days before the resignation of Jean Castex’s government, the authority had noted an incompatibility between the departure of the minister’s government and his wish to become executive vice-president of the CMA CGM group, in charge of the space division as the juggernaut of maritime transport and logistics, “plans to create”according to the HATVP.
Given the files that the former minister had to manage – intermodality, civil aviation, satellite applications, ports or maritime transport – the HATVP considers that this position would cause a risk of being called into question. “substantial” of “independent and impartial functioning of the administration”. The HATVP also notes that Mr. Djebbari met eight times with the senior executives of the shipping company. What to create “a legitimate doubt as to the conditions under which the Minister exercised his governmental functions, with regard to the ethical principles and the obligation to prevent conflicts of interest which are imposed on him”advances the opinion.
On May 17, the day after the effective resignation of the government – Jean-Baptiste Djebbari was still dealing with the day-to-day business of his ministry and defended, in the media, the absence of conflict of interest that his appointment constituted, according to him. next at Hopium –, the HATVP again issued a compatibility opinion with reservations on the creation, by Mr. Djebbari, of a consulting company.
“The person concerned must refrain from delivering, directly or indirectly, services to companies in respect of which he would have accomplished, during the three years preceding the services envisaged, within the framework of his governmental functions, one acts mentioned in article 432-13 of the penal code [qui régit les liens entre fonctionnaires et entreprises privées] »writes the High Authority, which intimates to Mr. Djebbari, if he actually decides to create this company, not to take steps with any member of the government or former members of the cabinet for three years.