Jean-Baptiste Marty with AFP / Photo credits: LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
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11:34 a.m., February 5, 2024
The Paris court rules Monday morning on the fate of the president of the MoDem, François Bayrou, as well as that of ten centrist executives and elected officials in the case of European parliamentary assistants. The three-time presidential candidate, 72, who appeared from October 16 to November 21, 2023, specified that he would be present for the delivery of the decision from 10:00 a.m. by the president of the 11th correctional chamber.
30 months suspended prison sentence required against François Bayrou
Considering that he is guilty of acts “undermining the values of probity and exemplarity that he promotes”, the prosecution requested against him 30 months of suspended imprisonment, a fine of 70,000 euros and three years of ineligibility. suspended sentence, for complicity, by instigation, in embezzlement of European public funds.
The High Commissioner for Planning, close to the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, is suspected of having been the “main decision-maker” of a “fraudulent system” which consisted, between 2005 and 2017, of using European funds to pay parliamentary assistants who actually worked for centrist organizations in France. At issue: 11 disputed contracts, for a total damage of 293,000 euros according to the European Parliament, civil party. Accusations that François Bayrou has always strongly contested.
At the bar, he denounced judicial “intoxication”, refuting at length the existence of any “system” for the benefit of his party. Among the other defendants are the former Minister of Justice Michel Mercier, 76, five former MEPs including Jean-Luc Bennahmias, 69, three executives and a parliamentary assistant at the time. The prosecution demanded against them sentences ranging from eight to 20 months of suspended prison time and fines of between 10,000 and 30,000 euros, accompanied by sentences of ineligibility, again suspended.
The two partisan structures are also being prosecuted: fines of 300,000 euros of which 100,000 are firm and 500,000 euros of which 200,000 are firm have been requested respectively for the UDF and the MoDem. Their counsel pleaded for acquittal, depicting a case which has only disintegrated over the years (the damage was once estimated at 1.4 million euros) and which would only contain documents “subject to interpretation “, without “any evidence”.
A case that thwarts the plans of the president of MoDem
The judgment must come at a time when government appointments could be announced “Monday or Tuesday”, according to an advisor to the executive, who however described as “rumors” the hypothesis, among others, that the head of the MoDem is one of them.
While awaiting this decision with heavy political stakes for him, François Bayrou is nevertheless particularly discreet. And this while he clearly disagrees both with the choice of Gabriel Attal for Matignon and with the overly “RPR” composition of the government.
This affair completely thwarted the plans of the president of MoDem, whose offer of alliance contributed to the election of Emmanuel Macron. In 2017, returning to the government for the first time in twenty years, he left Place Vendôme after a month, just after the opening of the investigation.
Since then, Macron’s doctrine has evolved significantly: ministers have been able to remain in office until their trial takes place. Tried for illegal taking of interests, the Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti was acquitted on November 29, a definitive decision. The Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, appeared for favoritism: he was dismissed during the reshuffle just before the decision which acquitted him on January 17. The financial prosecutor’s office, however, appealed.
The investigation into the MoDem was opened following the report of a far-right MEP, Sophie Montel, in response to one targeting the FN at the time, a party that Ms. Montel then left. In this case, Marine Le Pen was referred to justice in December, alongside her father, her party and numerous executives. They will be tried in the fall of 2024 on suspicion of embezzlement amounting to 6.8 million euros between 2009 and 2017.