An embarrassing revelation for Agnès Pannier-Runacher. The High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life (HATVP) opened an investigation on Tuesday into the Minister for Energy Transition, after revelations about shares held by her children in a company based on funds partly domiciled in tax havens. . According to the investigative media Disclose, the children of the Minister for Energy Transition are partners in this French company, not mentioned in the Minister’s declaration of interests. “The HATVP will open investigations following this report” by the article of Discloseit was indicated within this independent authority.
The minister refers to the origin of the funds to her father
The High Authority, which collects the declarations of interests and activities of the ministers, also has the role of scrutinizing the possible risks of conflicts of interest of the ministers, and the means of remedying them. Asked by Disclosethe minister refers to the origin of the funds to her father, ex-director of the oil company Perenco, who set up the company.
She also notes that she “does not have to declare this structure”, since the law obliges her to declare her direct participations and those of her spouse, but not those of her children. The HATVP confirms that Mrs. Pannier-Runacher did not have to declare the participations of her children.
The minister’s father, Jean-Michel Runacher, created this civil society in France in 2016, named Arjunem, as part of a transfer of assets, bringing it to it for around 1.2 million euros in shares, according to the ‘in order to Disclose.
“Not my heritage but that of my children”
Four of her grandchildren are partners, including the children of Agnès Pannier-Runacher who were minors at the time, and for whom the minister signed as legal representative. She explained in a detailed response that they were bare owners and therefore did not receive any dividend today, Jean-Michel Runacher remaining the usufructuary. She added that Arjunem was “subject to French taxation”.
According Disclose, this heritage comes from hedge funds based in Delaware, Ireland and Guernsey, in which Perenco also held investments. The financial products are deposited in a bank in Luxembourg, confirmed Ms. Pannier-Runacher. “It is not about my heritage, but that of my children who, themselves, have no power to manage the company to date”, replied the minister to Disclose. “The HATVP guide leaves no ambiguity about the fact that I did not have to declare this structure,” she told AFP.
On the origin of the funds, Jean-Michel Runacher “contributed fund shares that have no connection with Perenco. These are investments acquired in the past as part of his personal investments”, he said. she says, referring to her father “for more details”. “Whatever the legal form of these funds, the holder of the shares pays the taxation of his country of residence”, also told AFP the minister, who also sees no conflict of interest between his ministerial functions. and his father’s former activities. “I did not have to deal with files related to Perenco”, which “exercises most of its activities outside France,” she assures.
“Minister for energy transition or oil interests, you have to choose!”
“It is not this article which should decide the fate of the minister”, noted during a press briefing Loïc Signor, spokesman for the presidential party Renaissance, of which the minister is a member. “It is up to the government, to the President of the Republic” to decide, we explain within the formation.
MP Clémence Guetté (LFI) wonders about “the probity” to accelerate on renewable energies of “a minister whose indirect financial interests are visibly linked to oil companies”. She considers this case “symptomatic of the way the macronie can sometimes have financial links to question”. “Minister for energy transition or oil interests, you have to choose!” Added MP Danielle Simonnet (LFI) on Twitter. “Tartuffe”, snapped EELV MEP Mounir Satouri.