The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and the head of the LFI deputies, Mathilde Panot, announced that they were seizing the public prosecutor on the “Marianne fund” against separatism, after revelations on the use of the subsidies allocated. “The facts related, if proven, are extremely serious”, because “likely to characterize the criminal offense of embezzlement of public funds, but also other offenses”, writes the mayor of Paris in a letter sent Thursday to Matignon, and of which Agence France-Presse had a copy on Friday. “Several videos, which deliberately discredit elected officials of the Republic, would be financed by the Marianne fund. I am one of these elected officials, ”writes the elected socialist. The referral to the prosecution was in progress on Friday, said the entourage of the mayor to Agence France-Presse.
A joint investigation by the weekly Marianne and France 2, broadcast at the end of March, describes an opaque management of this fund launched in 2021 by Marlène Schiappa, then Minister Delegate for Citizenship, after the assassination of the teacher Samuel Paty. 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 ex-executives.
In addition, several left-wing personalities, including Anne Hidalgo, have been attacked in content from Rebuild the Common, a structure which, according to more recent revelations from Mediapart, “has received more than 300,000 euros in public money, while it was newly created and had no known activity.”
The leader of the LFI deputies, Mathilde Panot, also seized the prosecution: “The facts are serious and question the responsibility of Marlène Schiappa in the creation, use and control of these public funds. According to her, these are “serious attacks on probity” and on the “electoral context”.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office indicated on Friday that a report under article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Christian Gravel, president of the Interministerial Committee for the Prevention of Delinquency and Radicalization (CIPDR), was being analyzed, before a possible opening of investigation.
RN deputies called on Thursday for the creation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry. LFI deputy Aurélien Saintoul also announced on Friday that he had filed such a request, speaking of “State scandal”.
“Talking about embezzlement or campaign financing is false and misleading”, reacted to Agence France-Presse the cabinet of Marlène Schiappa. The State Secretariat for Citizenship indicated on March 29 that it had seized the General Administration Inspectorate of an audit on this file.
