Karim Tadjeddine, the macronist super-consultant in turmoil

Member of “the Firm”

Born in 1975, Karim Tadjeddine has an impressive CV: Polytechnique, National School of Bridges and Roads, an early career as a senior civil servant at Bercy. In 2006, he went private and joined McKinsey. It is the most prestigious, the most secretive and, according to its reputation, the most influential of American consulting firms. In the sector, it is simply nicknamed “the Firm”. Tadjeddine is one of the associate directors in France, in charge of the missions entrusted by the State. This market only represents 5% of the French subsidiary’s turnover, but it is buoyant. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the administration has continued to delegate missions to private consultants, and the trend is accelerating.

Early Macronist

Emmanuel Macron and Karim Tadjeddine have known each other since 2007. The first, a young finance inspector, is deputy rapporteur for the Attali commission. The second leads the McKinsey team which assists the commission. Ten years later, Tadjeddine is at the forefront of Macron’s presidential campaign. As detailed in a survey by M The magazine of the World on McKinsey published in February 2021, some twenty consultants from the firm offer their services, in a personal capacity, contributing to the development of the program and the animation of the campaign. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, other media reveal that the State is subcontracting part of the management of the crisis to McKinsey.

Read also: McKinsey and Macron: the true and the false on the controversy

Manhandled by the Senate

At the end of 2021, after the press revelations, the Senate created a commission of inquiry. For the first time, the leaders of the main cabinets must explain themselves publicly, and the State is obliged to deliver figures hitherto unavailable. Last year, the public sector spent over €1 billion on consulting. The Covid-19 does not explain everything. Under the Macron five-year term, this expenditure item has more than doubled. McKinsey is not the only company to have benefited, but its case is attracting particular attention. Karim Tadjeddine is auditioned under oath on January 18. The senators criticize the cabinet for a lack of transparency, worry about possible conflicts of interest and wonder about the usefulness of certain missions billed to the State.

Unconvincing witness

The investigation of M revealed that McKinsey’s French activities are managed by a company domiciled in the US state of Delaware. A small tax haven, which does not tax profits. “I say it very clearly: we pay corporate tax in France”, yet assures Karim Tadjeddine, under oath, in the Senate.

Read also: Macron says he is “shocked” by the tax optimization practiced by the McKinsey firm, Attal calls on the administration to use advice “with parsimony”

But parliamentarians find out from the taxman that McKinsey pays nothing “for at least ten years”. Thanks to fees charged by the Delaware company to the Paris office, the profits declared in France have melted, and the tax too. This tax optimization is legal. On the other hand, the penal code punishes false testimony under oath. On February 25, the Senate announced its “suspicion” and announces to take legal action. There was no “combined” with McKinsey, must defend the candidate Macron.

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