A preliminary investigation was opened on June 2 into the campaign financing of Avec BLM, the microparty of Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, according to a source close to the investigation, confirmed by the Paris prosecutor’s office. Agence France-Presse (AFP). The economic crime repression brigade of the Paris judicial police must determine whether illegal donations have been made through service provider invoices not paid by this microparty.
With BLM had raised 2 million euros for the 2016 right-wing primary, according to Mediapart, which revealed the existence of the investigations. The investigation was opened for “participation in the financing of a political party by a legal person through donations or the provision of advantages at a price lower than those usually practiced” and for “acceptance by the political party of these same advantages”, said the prosecution. These offenses are punishable by three years’ imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros.
Number 2 in government
Bruno Le Maire came in fifth position in the right-wing primary, with 2.4% of the vote, a bitter failure. Despite calls for donations, he subsequently struggled to pay off his debts for this microparty, put to sleep after the elections. Mediapart specifies that, out of “more than a dozen” unpaid service providers, the largest canceled debts come from two specialists in political communication: Experian (bill of 24,990 euros not paid) and Catch Digital Strategy (9,000 euros) .
Questioned by the National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Financing, the microparty had in particular justified the debts canceled by exceeding the legal limitation period of five years.
With this investigation, it is a new member of the government who finds himself confronted with legal disputes: several figures of Macronie, from the secretary general of the Elysée, Alexis Kohler, to the Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, passing by the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, or even François Bayrou, are implicated in other cases.
Bruno Le Maire, number 2 in the government of Elisabeth Borne, was reappointed in May 2022 at the head of Bercy, which he led during the first term of the current head of state, and now holds the record for longevity in the Ministry of Economy and Finance under the Fifth Republic. He was also Secretary of State for European Affairs (2008-2009) and Minister of Agriculture (2009-2012).