Laurent Dublet, member of the board of Anticor, an association which fights against corruption and campaigns for transparency in politics, judged on Tuesday November 15 on franceinfo “surprising” the publication of the decree preventing Agnès Pannier-Runacher from managing files related to the Perenco oil company that her father managed when she “has kept saying that she was not in a situation of conflict of interest”.
>> Tax havens: we explain the controversy surrounding Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher
This decree is published in the Official Journal a week after an investigation by the media Disclose which revealed that the children of the minister were partners in a company based on funds domiciled in tax havens. Tax evasion “really appeals to us a lot at Anticor”because it participates in “the deterioration of public services”, explains Laurent Dublet.
franceinfo: Is this decree a good thing?
Laurent Dublet: This decree was taken at the request of Mrs. Pannier-Runacher, by virtue of another decree which dates from January 22, 1959, which specifies that when a minister is in a situation of conflict of interest or considers himself to be in a situation of conflict interest, he must ask to be removed from the subjects or he could be in a conflict of interest.
However, Mrs. Pannier-Runacher seized the Prime Minister considering that she was in a situation of conflict of interest with respect to the Perenco group, but also with respect to another company called Défense Conseil International and the EPDC group. Mrs. Pannier-Runacher never ceased to say that she had no declaration to make to the High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life because she was not in a situation of conflict of interest. This proves the opposite.
“We have the press which makes revelations and following these revelations, all of a sudden Madame Pannier-Runacher says to herself: ‘Ah my God! I am in a situation of conflict of interest.’ Which is quite amazing.”
Laurent Dublet, Anticor board memberon franceinfo
The minister’s children were partners in a company based on funds domiciled in tax havens. How do you react ?
This really concerns us a lot at Anticor. Today, this situation of conflict of interest is confirmed. There will be no conflict of interest since it is the Prime Minister who will take charge of all the files or acts which will target, among others, the Perenco company. But it is above all tax evasion. It is estimated between 80 and 100 billion euros per year by the union Solidaires des finances publics. I remind you of the justice budget, it is 85 billion euros. It is a lack of exemplarity.
Tax evasion is the degradation of public services and we see it today with the public hospital with these parents who cannot get their children treated with bronchiolitis. It is very worrying. Madame Pannier-Runacher indirectly, as well as her father, participate in this system. And coming from a minister, it is all the same very worrying.
This is not the first time that this decree has been used to dismiss a minister suspected of a conflict of interest. This was the case with Stanislas Guérini or the Minister Delegate for Digital, Jean-Noël Barrot. What inspires you?
It is very good that there are deportation decrees for ministers who may potentially have situations of conflict of interest. This prevents conflicts of interest. Afterwards, there is a very strong porosity, but which does not date from the presidency of Mr. Macron, between the business circles and the political circles. It can only worry us. More control is needed and in particular the reporting obligations to the High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life should be extended, possibly to the assets of the children and the family.