“I think the ethics officer” of the National Assembly “should see its own powers reinforced”, indicated Monday, May 2 on franceinfo René Dosière, former PS deputy for Aisne and president of the Observatory of public ethics after the case of the mandate expenses of the LREM deputy, Coralie Dubost, “so that he himself can make a number of decisions in the event of non-compliance.” Deputy of Hérault, Coralie Dubost is criticized on the human management of her collaborators and on her expenses of mandate. She announced, via a press release posted on Twitter, to give up running for a new term.
In the National Assembly, deputies are controlled by an ethics officer who publishes a report each year. “According to the reports of the various deontologists to the National Assembly, explains René Dosière, the expenses which are not authorized are very low and concern only 1 to 2% of the checks carried out”. “But it is true that when there are observations, we do not know their nature”, he acknowledges. “They are transmitted to the office of the National Assembly and it is the office of the National Assembly which decides to take decisions.”
Moreover, “there is no training for new deputies. There is simply a notebook which is given to each deputy at the start of their mandate”, says René Dosière. “This notebook gives the list of expenses that are authorized. So everyone is informed”. “There is also a firm of chartered accountants which each Member of Parliament must use to put in order, from an accounting point of view, the expenses, he continues, and then there is the control of the ethics officer.” “From this point of view, the information is still sufficient”.
After the legislative elections of 12 and 19 June, “the new deputies will be accompanied”, says the president of the Observatory of Public Ethicsthe ethics officer is in place and will be for the six months following the arrival of these new deputies.” So he is able to provide them with all the explanations, comments René DosièreEach deputy will also have a booklet which will allow him to know exactly what he can spend.” “On the other hand, an anti-harassment unit has been set up, he concludes, and there are training possibilities parliamentarians to prevent harassment”.