It took a week for the cabinet of Marlène Schiappa, Secretary of State for the Social and Solidarity Economy, to react publicly to the embarrassing revelations of Marianne magazine and the France Télévisions program “L’Œil du 20 heures”. In a press release, published on Friday April 7, he confirms the seizure of the General Inspectorate of Administration and announces to seize the public prosecutor, under article 40 of the code of criminal procedure, to “shed all the light on the suspicions arising from the investigation of the two media, as to the use of the 2.5 million euros from the Marianne fund.
This sum was released by Marlène Schiappa, then Minister Delegate for Citizenship, after the assassination of the teacher Samuel Paty, in October 2020, by a radicalized young man, following unfounded rumors disseminated massively on social networks. . The fund was to be used to “fight against separatist discourse, particularly on social networks and online platforms”.
But according to the investigation of the two media, a good part of the financial windfall was attributed in an opaque way to relatives of Ms. Schiappa and the president of the Interministerial Committee for the Prevention of Delinquency and Radicalization (CIPDR), Christian Gravel, who oversaw the awarding of the grants.
Marlène Schiappa denies
In its press release, Ms. Schiappa’s cabinet denies, ensuring that after verification, “sixteen of the seventeen winning associations” of the fund have justified “good use” of it and that it is “totally false” to “claim that they would be friends of the minister”.
The journalistic investigation particularly targets the organization that received the largest payment, the Union of Physical Education and Military Preparation Societies (USEPPM), co-directed by the former journalist and current director of communication for the football club of ‘Angers, Mohamed Sifaoui. The USEPPM would have received more than 330,000 euros, for producing only some very little shared web content.
A good part of the sum would have, still according to the elements of Marianne and France Télévisions, served to remunerate Mr. Sifaoui and the co-director of the association, Cyril Karunagaran. Contacted, Mr. Sifaoui disputes the facts and denounces a “mediocre” and “incriminating” investigation. He is “rejoiced” at the prospect of a judicial inquiry, which may allow him to explain himself, “supporting evidence”.
Samuel Paty’s family said Thursday, April 6, “particularly shocked” by these revelations. Contacted, the family’s lawyer, Me Virginie Le Roy, confirms to Le Monde that for those close to Mr. Paty, it is “important that light be shed” on this fund, “to know whether these grants have been used for any purpose. something constructive or have been diverted. It is part of the memory of Samuel.”
