first difficulty in the presidential race?

The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) opened a preliminary investigation targeting in particular Édouard Philippe after the filing of a complaint from the former deputy general director of the Le Havre urban community.

A search took place on Wednesday April 3 in the premises of the town hall and the urban community of Le Havre chaired by Édouard Philippe. An initiative which comes as part of a preliminary investigation which targets the former Prime Minister on charges of “illegal taking of interests”, “favoritism”, “embezzlement of public funds” and “moral harassment” after the complaint of one of his former collaborators. It was the former deputy general director of the Le Havre urban community who denounced a circumvention of public procurement rules for the operation of the city’s Digital City.

An association led by an assistant to Édouard Philippe at town hall and the urban community inherited this contract. There is therefore a suspicion of a conflict of interest, aggravated by haphazard management of public funds allocated to this association. Édouard Philippe assured on Wednesday that he would “serenely at the disposal of the prosecution” For “demonstrate in good faith” that he has good “respected the rules”.

This is a first stone in Édouard Philippe’s shoe with a view to the presidential campaign, especially given the image of integrity and even rigor of the former Prime Minister. It still bothers her to be the target of such an investigation. Especially at a time when Édouard Philippe is already in the pre-Elysian campaign, a sort of warm-up tour which has seen him multiply trips across the country to meet the French for weeks, a bit like the now famous model of Jacques Chirac in 1994. Let’s say that this comes at a bad time when the ex-tenant of Matignon, who enjoys a popularity rating at the zenith, has established in public opinion the idea that he will apply in 2027 for the succession of Emmanuel Macron. However, caution should be exercised for several reasons.

Not even an indictment at this stage

The case is complex and the complaint comes from a former employee whose contract was not renewed. Then because there is, at this stage, not even an indictment, and therefore even less of a conviction. And then, we will be careful not to rush because we must remember that three personalities from the majority pursued for years were recently cleared by the courts, the Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti, the former Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt , and the boss of MoDem, François Bayrou, respectively heads of conflict of interest, favoritism and embezzlement of public funds. The prosecution appealed the acquittal decisions concerning Olivier Dussopt and François Bayrou. And finally, Édouard Philippe is far from being the only contender for the Élysée worried by the justice system.

Marine Le Pen is directly suspected of having set up a fraudulent financing system for her party by embezzling nearly seven million euros of public funds from the European Parliament for years. A scandal of a completely different scale which led to her being sent back to court in the fall. However, this affair has stuck to the far-right candidate’s coattails for years without harming, for the moment, her popularity rating.