The secretary general of the Élysée is suspected of a conflict of interest because of his links with the Italian-Swiss shipowner MSC.
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The secretary general of the Elysée, Alexis Kohler, was indicted on September 23 for “illegal taking of interests”, learned Monday, October 3 franceinfo from the national financial prosecutor’s office. Alexis Kohler was also placed under the status of assisted witness for “influence peddling”.
“This indictment comes within the framework of a judicial investigation opened following a complaint with civil action filed on January 30, 2020 by the Anticor association before the dean of the investigating judges of the Paris judicial court”writes the PNF in a press release. “No judicial control measure has been taken against him”however, specifies the national financial prosecutor’s office at franceinfo.
Judicial information was opened on June 23, 2020 for “illegal taking of interests”, “influence peddling” and failure to report to the High Authority for the transparency of public life (HATVP), after a complaint from the Anticor association, in conjunction with the Italian shipowner MSC.
The Anticor association filed a complaint on August 8, 2018 for “illegal taking of interest” against Alexis Kohler. In 2010 and 2011, the secretary general of the Elysee Palace approved contracts for the Italian-Swiss shipowner MSC, founded and run by cousins of his mother. Alexis Kohler was then a member of the supervisory board and had not reported these family ties to MSC.
“Without taking into consideration at this stage the many objective exculpatory elements, Alexis Kohler was placed under the status of indicted for illegal taking of interest for facts that may date back more than ten years”, regret in a press release his lawyer, Me Eric Dezeuze. He ensures that “the rest of the procedure, to which he now has access” was going to “allow him to demonstrate his innocence”.