Since January 4, 2021, the date on which the political scientist resigned from the presidency of Sciences Po, he has completely disappeared from the radar. However, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, the seventy-year-old man was seen incognito, surgical mask on his nose, walking his dog, a cavalier King Charles. What is Olivier Duhamel's life like since leaving The Familia Grande? The Parisian went to investigate in its edition of February 14, 2021. According to the newspaper, the political scientist, "loose" by most of his friends, hardly ever leaves his home. Worse yet, his friends would suspect him of having suicidal tendencies. "He remains my friend and I cannot tolerate his end of his life", confided Jean Veil. If Camille Kouchner's chilling story in her book depicts a festive and very sociable man, his Parisian neighbors do not seem to have the same opinion …
A "haughty, unlovable man, he told it to himself"
Indeed, as explained The Parisian, Olivier Duhamel's neighbors have not kept a charming memory of his (rare) presence in the neighborhood … On the contrary. For some, his absence would even have gone unnoticed: "Since he never said hello, that won't change much", tells a resident of an adjacent street. A former restaurateur, who welcomed him several times in her establishment, in turn describes a man "haughty, not amiable, he told it to himself", she confided to Parisian. Rare testimonies that contrast with the silence that reigns about Olivier Duhamel in the rue de Bièvre.
However, when our colleagues from Parisian passers-by ask about the political scientist, all seem to answer the same thing: "Everyone in the neighborhood knows Olivier Duhamel, but nobody talks about him", explains a local worker. "He doesn't want to talk to anyone", adds a neighbor. "He looked sad ", says a retiree who has lived in the neighborhood for years. So many reasons which push the lawyer Jean Veil, close to Olivier Duhamel for years, to keep an eye on his friend: "It goes beyond friendship … This sordid affair goes back over thirty years now", he confided, before concluding: "Does it have to end with a new drama?"
Read also : “La Familia Grande”: Camille Kouchner explains why she “protected” her stepfather Olivier Duhamel for a long time