William Molinié and Alexandre Chauveau, edited by Gauthier Delomez
modified to
9:55 p.m., September 27, 2022
The facts were reported to the public prosecutor on April 19. In this three-page letter, which Europe 1 has obtained, Julien Bayou intends to bring to the attention of the justice of the facts which, according to him, could concern “illegal financing of political parties, illegal financing of electoral campaigns, embezzlement of public funds, misuse of corporate assets and/or illegal taking of interests”. This letter is at the origin of the opening of an investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office for embezzlement of public funds targeting the presidential campaign of Valérie Pécresse.
A dispute with a relative of the president of the region
In support of his demonstration, the one who was then only regional adviser of Europe-Ecologie-Les-Verts (EELV) puts forward a letter from Babette de Rozières, sent on March 14 to Valérie Pécresse as well as to all elected officials. Babette de Rozières, at the time a regional councilor and close to the president of the region, announces her resignation from “her special delegation for gastronomy” as well as from the permanent committee and all the other committees.
She denounces, among other things, the fact that Valérie Pécresse does not take sufficient account of the Overseas Territories. Thereafter, she will publicly settle her personal differences with Patrick Stefanini, appointed campaign manager for presidential candidate LR. This resignation aroused many reactions, notes Julien Bayou. Including that of the regional elected Patrick Karam, a close friend of Valérie Pécresse, who on CNews on March 9 indicates that Babette de Rozières “was paid handsomely to go to all Overseas”.
The participation of a regional elected official in question
“More broadly, in this same letter, Babette de Rozières also explains that she is acting in the interest of Valérie Pécresse, but the mix of genres between the regional president and the presidential candidate seems complete”, writes Julien Bayou, quoting support a passage from this letter of resignation: “Demonstrations that I organized in your interest […] to make you win the hearts of ultramarines by adding this action to your credit.”
Julien Bayou is also surprised with the public prosecutor that Babette de Rozières “implies that the director of cabinet of [Valérie Pécresse] participates in the presidential campaign without it being clear whether it is a regional elected official who takes it upon herself to prepare a note for the presidential candidate or the chief of staff of a community who oversees the implementation of the program of a presidential candidate.
“Possible illegal financing of a presidential campaign”
“Settlements of scores” within the Ile-de-France regional council “to be analyzed against the backdrop of the presidential campaign and legislative appointments”, continues Julien Bayou. If he takes the precaution of writing that it is “up to justice to decide on these accusations and possible facts”, Julien Bayou notes “the possible illegal financing of a presidential campaign by the contribution on his working time of ‘an agent, the chief of staff of the president of the region, in the development of the program of the presidential campaign of the right’.
Following this report, the Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation on Monday for “embezzlement of public funds”. She was entrusted to the brigade for the repression of economic delinquency (BRDE) of the Paris judicial police.
In total, more than ten complaints have been filed and lost by environmentalists in the Ile-de-France region. Valérie Pécresse’s campaign account during the regional elections last year had also been the subject of similar attacks before being validated. Finally, the entourage of the president of Île-de-France specifies that her chief of staff, Magali Lamir, did indeed go on leave from her post in the region during the presidential campaign, temporarily replaced by her deputy.