More than two months after our revelations on the use and control of the Marianne Fund, intended to fight against online separatism, a report by the General Inspectorate of Administration (IGA) has just released its first conclusions. They reveal flaws in the management of this public money.
This first report, published on Tuesday June 6, focuses on the grant awarded to the main winning association of the Marianne Fund. A Fund launched in April 2021 by Marlène Schiappa, then Minister Delegate for Citizenship, a few months after the assassination of Professor Samuel Paty.
The conclusions of this 34-page report point “a call for projects that was neither transparent nor fair” believes the IGA which also mentions “a failure in the organization of the service” in charge of the Marianne Fund, “a lack of vigilance” And “a lack of discernment on the part of his manager“.
On March 30, we revealed that among the 17 associations awarded the Marianne Fund for a total sum of two million euros, one of them, the Union of Physical Education and Preparation for Military Service Societies (USEPPM), had received an endowment promise of 355,000 euros for “deploy multimedia content, a positive message of re-enchantment of the values of the republic and another in deconstruction of the violent attacks suffered by the Republic.”
“The online production of the association is limited” estimates today the IGA in its report which recommends “reimbursement of 127,476 euros, i.e. nearly half of the grant received“.
For its part, in a press release, the Ministry of the Interior specifies that the prefect Christian Gravel, in charge of the management of this fund, “wished to submit his resignation which was accepted”.
Contacted, the latter declared to L’Oeil du 20H: “I sent in my resignation as Secretary General of the CIPDR noting that the conditions are no longer met today to carry out my duties. I consider that this decision is necessary to preserve the continuity of public policies essential to the security of our fellow citizens and the defense of our fundamental principles.
Heard on May 16 before the senatorial commission of inquiry, the prefect Gravel then justified the proper use of the funds concerning the main association concerned: “Qualitatively, the balance is positive. It is, objectively, the only association which has done what it was committed to. I consider, in all objectivity, that the work is of high quality.”
Heard a fortnight later, the former president of the association, Cyril Karunagaran, explained that “videos had indeed been produced and viewed by thousands of people.“
At the beginning of May, the national financial prosecutor’s office opened a judicial investigation for, in particular, suspicions of “illegal taking of interest” and “misappropriation of public funds through negligence.”