Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher on Tuesday denounced “false and slanderous allegations” after the publication of an investigation revealing that her children held shares in a company whose funds are partly domiciled in tax havens.
“I learned this morning of the false and slanderous allegations published by (the NGO) Disclose” and this subject “has no connection with my duties as minister”, affirmed the minister during the question session at the government in the Assembly, in response to a question from the socialist Arthur Delaporte. “There is therefore nothing concealed, nothing hidden”, she insisted, assuring that the operations concerned had been carried out by “through a French company”.
A transmission “through a French company subject to French taxation”
“My father wished to prepare his succession by a direct transmission to his grandchildren, this transmission took place through a French company subject to French taxation, by notarial deed drawn up in Paris and in full compliance with the provisions applicable by French law”, she explained.
“I have obviously satisfied the declarative obligations provided for by law, in particular with the HATVP (High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life), which expressly provides that declarations of assets do not concern the assets of children, including minors. “, she argued.
“No relationship with the Perenco company”, assures Pannier-Runacher
Agnès Pannier-Runacher therefore assured that she had “no connection with the (oil) company Perenco”, her father’s former employer. “It is indeed a foreign company that exists, which exercises its oil activities outside France. I therefore did not have, within the framework of my functions as minister, to know of the activities of this group”. She clarified that her children were “in no way directly or indirectly shareholders” of Perenco.
Questioned on the same subject by the president of the EELV group Cyrielle Chatelain, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne affirmed that “if your purpose is to comment on press articles, I tell you that my role is not to comment on press articles. and that the Minister has already had the opportunity to speak on the subject”. “We are in a hemicycle not in a court,” added Elisabeth Borne. “If you are interested in the energy policy of our country, see, I could have told you about the bill that was passed at the end of last week in the Senate to accelerate the development of renewable energies,” he said. she said again.
The HATVP opened an investigation into the minister on Tuesday after the publication of this investigation. The minister’s father, Jean-Michel Runacher, created this civil society in France in 2016, named Arjunem, as part of a transfer of assets, contributing about 1.2 million euros in shares, according to the Disclose investigation. According to Disclose, this heritage comes from hedge funds, based in Delaware, Ireland and Guernsey, and in which Perenco also held investments.