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The Peers judicial court essentially found that there had been deception with regard to the European Parliament and the taxpayer.
Relaxed in the case of the MoDem parliamentary assistants, François Bayrou reacted after the judgment, February 5, 2024. – (Franceinfo)
The mayor of Pau affirmed on Monday leaving the courtroom that justice had proven “that there was no system” organized for the misappropriation of European public funds by the centrist party.
The president of MoDem, François Bayrou, was released on Monday February 5, “for the benefit of the doubt” by the Paris criminal court in the case of European parliamentary assistants, a decision which clarifies the political horizon of the current high commissioner for planning. The president of the centrist party appeared from October 16 to November 21 for “complicity in embezzlement of European public funds”, with ten party executives and centrist elected officials.
“For me, obviously, it’s a nightmare of seven years which has just ended with an uncontested decision by the court”commented François Bayrou. “I think of the waste that this represents. (…) For seven years, we were prohibited from taking responsibility”, he declared as he left the courtroom. Former presidential candidate said justice had proven “that there was no system” organized by the MoDem. He considered that the convictions handed down against his party and several of its representatives related to “decisions of certain MEPs on an extremely limited number of cases”.
The MoDem and the UDF condemned
In total, of the eleven defendants, eight were convicted and three were acquitted, including the three-time candidate for the presidential election. The two parties, the MoDem and the UDF (its predecessor), were condemned as legal entities. The Union for French Democracy was fined 150,000 euros, of which 100,000 was closed, and the Democratic Movement was fined 350,000 euros, of which 300,000 was closed.
According to the courts, there was indeed misappropriation of public funds in this case, with parliamentary assistants having been paid from European Parliament funds to carry out tasks for the benefit of the parties.
