Elisabeth Borne assures that “all the necessary clarifications will be provided”

“Rest assured of my determination to ensure that all necessary clarifications of the facts will be provided,” promises Elisabeth Borne, about the Marianne fund, in a letter sent to Anne Hidalgo on Wednesday, and which France Inter obtained on Thursday April 20. The Prime Minister thus responds to a letter sent by the socialist mayor of Paris last Thursday, April 13. Since then, the Parisian councilor has filed a complaint “for embezzlement of public funds and breach of trust”.

The Marianne fund was launched in 2021, after the assassination of Samuel Patty, by Marlène Schiappa, then Minister Delegate for Citizenship and now Secretary of State in charge of the social and solidarity economy and associative life. Dedicated to the fight against separatism, the Marianne fund is today at the heart of a controversy. Two of the associations which benefited from it are suspected of having used the money received for other purposes, in particular political, according to investigations by France 2 and Marianne. These are the Union of Physical Education and Military Preparation Societies (USEPPM) and Rebuild the Common.

Two associations targeted

The latter, Rebuild the common, received 359,250 euros to finance a YouTube channel to broadcast a “republican counter-speech” for 18-25 year olds tempted by separatism. However, some of the 57 videos posted during the last presidential election campaign tend to denigrate opponents of Emmanuel Macron, including Anne Hidalgo, according to information from franceinfo.

At the time, Anne Hidalgo was a candidate for the Élysée. “The sincerity of political debate” East “a democratic requirement to which I am deeply attached”assures Elisabeth Borne.