In a way, he will have been the first to leave for the government, with a quasi-official departure before that of Jean Castex. The former minister delegate for transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, will leave the public sphere for the world of private enterprise and join the start-up Hopium, and the announcement was made even before the official resignation of the government. , Monday, May 16. This very young company – which aims to manufacture high-end hydrogen cars – has, in fact, indicated, on Monday morning, its intention to propose the appointment of Mr. Djebbari to its board of directors. The arrival of the latter “will be submitted to the approval of the next general meeting of Hopium, on June 20, 2022”, the company says in its press release.
A minister of transport who leaves the government to immediately go to a transport company. The fact did not fail to arouse reactions on social networks. Accusations of “revolving door” have followed one another online. “Mixing of genres, opportunism and conflicts of interest”tweeted EELV MEP David Cormand, adding that the fact was indicative of “all the perversity of La République en Marche, which has never been anything other than a republic of merchants plagued by profiteering and lobbies. »
His colleague David Belliard, EELV deputy to the mayor of Paris, added on the subject of conflicts of interest. “LREM-style short circuit, he quipped on Twitter: yesterday in charge of carrying out the hydrogen plan of 7 billion public investments. Today appointed administrator of a 100% hydrogen car manufacturer which benefits from the said plan. Shocking. »
Green light from the High Transparency Authority
However, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari received the green light – conditional, it is true – from the High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life (HATVP), responsible for monitoring the ethics of State agents and which published an opinion on this transfer in the wake of the Hopium press release . The independent body examined, at the request of the minister’s office, the risk of conflicts of interest arising from his arrival in the start-up, and concluded that “compatibility with reservations” of his future duties with his status as a former member of the government.
“Based on the information of which [la HATVP] provides, the risk of illegal taking of interests can be eliminated”, indicates the High Authority. But the latter obliges the minister to refrain for three years from any approach to members of the government who were members of the government at the same time as him, as well as members of his cabinet and ministers responsible for ecological transition, as long as they still hold public office.
You have 47.24% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.