the trial for favoritism of the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, opened in Paris

The minister is summoned to appear before the Paris criminal court for communication of privileged information concerning a call for tenders, for the benefit of the water treatment group Saur.

After Eric Dupont-Moretti, another member of the government finds himself before the courts. The Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, has been on trial since Monday November 27 for suspicion of favoritism concerning a public contract awarded in 2009, when he was mayor of Annonay (Ardèche). He is summoned to appear before the Paris criminal court for communication of privileged information concerning a call for tenders, for the benefit of the water treatment group Saur.

>> We explain to you why Olivier Dussopt is appearing before the courts in a favoritism case

He is also suspected of having changed the evaluation criteria of this call for tenders, relating to a market worth 5.6 million euros, by reducing the importance given to the price to favor this company, holder of a public service delegation to manage the town’s water since 1994, but more expensive than competing companies.

The defendants dispute the facts

In May 2020, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) opened a preliminary investigation also into suspicions of corruption, illegal taking of interest, complicity and concealment of these crimes, after an article from Mediapart revealing in particular that a local representative of Saur had offered Olivier Dussopt two lithographs in 2017, when a new contract was about to be concluded between Annonay and this company. But these grievances were closed without further action at the end of the investigations.

Olivier Dussopt appears alongside the former general director of Saur, Olivier Brousse, prosecuted for complicity in favoritism, and the company itself, the third largest water company in France, prosecuted for concealment of favoritism. Everyone disputes the facts. This trial, which is due to last until Thursday, comes after that of another minister in office, the Keeper of the Seals Eric Dupond-Moretti, who will know on Wednesday the decision of the Court of Justice of the Republic before which he appeared from November 6 to 17 for suspicion of illegal taking of interests.