two officials of the Avenir lycéen union sentenced for their use of public funds

Two officials from the Avenir lycéen union, created to support the reforms of the former Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, were sentenced on Friday December 22 in Paris to eight months in prison. This high school union, created in 2018 to support the ex-minister’s baccalaureate reform, was accused of having squandered public subsidies. He had received a grant of 65,000 euros from the ministry, including 43,000 euros to organize a founding congress.

But a Mediapart investigation revealed in November 2020 that union officials had spent in a few months 80% of the subsidy on expense reports in gourmet restaurants, five-star hotels or on the purchase of connected watches. As for the founding congress, it never took place. The State, which has become a civil party, is requesting the reimbursement of 65,000 euros in subsidies, a request which will be examined separately in September 2024.

The two officials, the co-founder and the treasurer of the union, were also sentenced to a suspended fine of 5,000 euros and an eligibility sentence of three years. The judges did not uphold the ban on entry into the public service that the prosecution had requested.