Corruption scandals in the Paris region

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In the 1980s and 1990s there were, in the Paris region (Île-de-France), multiple instances of alleged and proved political corruption cases, as well as cases of abuse of public money and resources. Almost all involved were members of the conservative Rally for the Republic (RPR) ruling party, which became the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) in 2002.

Central role of Jacques Chirac

Jacques Chirac was mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995 and has been named in several cases of alleged corruption and abuse, some of which have already led to felony convictions.

Chirac, as

Constitutional Council on 22 January 1999.[2] This decision itself was highly controversial: the council was consulted on the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court, not about the status of the president with respect to the national criminal justice system. At the time, the president of the council was Roland Dumas, who later had to retire from his functions because of his implication in the Elf Aquitaine scandal.[3]

Chirac refused to testify before

investigating magistrate Éric Halphen
, arguing that this would be incompatible with his presidential functions.

On 10 October 2001, the

statute of limitation
). If Chirac does not run for office again in 2007 or is not re-elected, he may then be prosecuted on the several affairs he is involved in. This might explain why in 2003 some in the presidential entourage floated around the idea of Chirac running for a third term.

Chirac's foremost critic was

Socialist Party, who filed a motion to bring him in front of the High Court of Justice (a procedure similar to impeachment
, which has never been applied).

Vote rigging in Paris

In several districts of Paris, people were allegedly illegally registered on the electoral rolls in an attempt to modify the outcome of elections. In some egregious cases, significant numbers of people were registered at the address of a hotel or of a shop.

Manipulated biddings for public procurement

Paris public housing projects

There was a shock when a videocassette of businessman

FRF 5 million in cash to Michel Roussin, chief of staff of then prime minister Jacques Chirac, "in Chirac's presence". "We only work on Mr. Chirac's orders," Méry said in the video. It was on these grounds that investigating magistrate Éric Halphen summoned president Jacques Chirac in March 2001 as witness, declaring that there were sufficient "clues" to warrant a full investigation. In September 2001, the Paris Appeal Court cancelled part of the proceedings on procedural vices, and removing the affair from judge Halphen's hands. In February 2005, investigating magistrate Armand Riberolles, who succeeded Halphen, abandoned charges against Jean Tiberi (who succeeded Chirac as mayor of Paris), who as former president of the OPAC (Office Public d'Aménagement et de Construction) of Paris, was prosecuted for "complicity in corruption" (complicité de traffic d'influence).[6][7]

As of January 2006, several CEOs had been prosecuted in the trial, but not one politician. Forty-nine businessmen were prosecuted, among them

Court of Appeal, leading to the resignation of judge Halphen.[9]

High-schools and other public works in the Île-de-France region

About 40 are under investigation for the alleged corruption at the

Dumez, Chagnaud, Fougerolle, SAEP, SCGPM, Société parisienne pour l'industrie électrique [fr
] (SPIE). The investigations were conducted by investigating judges Armand Riberolles and Marc Brisset-Foucault

In March 2005, the case went to trial before the Paris correctional court[10][11] In October 2005, former president of the Île-de-France region Michel Giraud was condemned to four years of prison on probation and to pay an 80 000 euros fine; Michel Roussin, former chief of staff of Jacques Chirac, was also condemned to four years of prison on probation and to a 50 000 euros fine. These sentences were accompanied by a 5 years suspension of civil and familial rights. Louise-Yvonne Cassetta and Guy Drut were also condemned on probation. Among the 47 persons prosecuted, only Gérard Longuet, former president of the republican party, was acquitted. Libération could state that: "Only one - big - absence in this trial and judgment: Jacques Chirac, whose shadow has constantly towered [over] this four months debate".[12][13]

Fictional jobs in government offices

City of Paris

During the tenure of Jacques Chirac as mayor of Paris, some people paid by the city government actually worked (full-time) for the RPR party.

Versailles court of appeals reduced the sentence to a 14-month suspended sentence and a deprivation of the right to hold political office for one year. Juppé did not go to the Court of Cassation over this sentence, and had to resign from his position as mayor of Bordeaux
.

Another scandal erupted after the ruling when the judges of the Nanterre court alleged that their offices and computers had been searched. President Chirac ordered an administration inquiry commission, composed of high-level magistrates (the vice-president of the

Court of Auditors
), to investigate the matter. This decision was criticized because there was no legal nor constitutional basis for it: normally, questions of judicial honesty are handled by the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature (CSM), which (politely) protested Chirac's action. The Nanterre judges refused to be heard by the commission, arguing they should see the CSM. The commission concluded that there had been security lapses at the Nanterre court, but did not conclude that there was any wrongdoing. A criminal investigation has also been opened.

On 3 December 2004, the Court of Cassation ruled that a

deputy of Paris Jean de Gaulle, former minister Robert Pandraud etc.[14]

Essonne

département. This 36-page report, possibly written after the payment as a justification, was extremely poorly written and contained numerous spelling and grammatical mistakes.[7]

Illegal use of government services

Usage of City of Paris gardening services for private purposes

In 2004, mayor Bertrand Delanoë filed a complaint for the past abuse of City of Paris gardening services for private purposes, estimating the public losses to at least €700,000. Individuals close to the RPR allegedly enjoyed free gardening services from City of Paris employees in their houses of the upscale areas of Paris and suburbs. City supplies were allegedly also taken for private usage.[15]

François Fillon who held the position of Prime Minister from 2007 to 2012, was convicted in 2020 for falsely claiming a parliamentary salary for his wife. This conviction highlighted Fillon's wrongdoing in improperly utilizing public funds by allegedly paying his spouse for work she did not actually perform.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "decision 98-408 DC". Conseil-constitutionnel.fr. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  2. ^ La responsabilité pénale du Chef de l'Etat Archived 16 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine (A Legal Analysis of Presidential Immunity)
  3. ^ L'Express Archived 6 April 2004 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Faux électeurs du troisième arrondissement de la capitale". L'Humanité. 31 May 2000. Archived from the original on 28 January 2007.
  5. ^ "Jean Tiberi a été mis en examen dans le dossier des "faux électeurs"". Le Monde. 21 March 2005. Archived from the original on 24 March 2005. Retrieved 1 April 2005.
  6. ^ (in French) "Le tribunal examine le scandale de corruption des HLM de Paris, naguère affaire d'Etat", Le Monde, 25 January 2006."
  7. ^ a b [1][dead link]
  8. ^ (in French) In "Le tribunal examine le scandale de corruption des HLM de Paris, naguère affaire d'Etat", in Le Monde, Mercredi 25 janvier 2006."
  9. ^ "Feu l'affaire des HLM de Paris". Le Monde. 14 March 2006. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012.
  10. ^ "Marchés publics: pas de corrélation entre "dons" aux partis et marchés publics, selon un entrepreneur". Associated Press. n.d.
  11. ^ "Au procès des marchés publics d'Ile-de-France, les accusations sélectives de Claude-Annick Tissot". Le Monde. 31 March 2005. Archived from the original on 28 May 2005. Retrieved 1 April 2005.
  12. ^ "Michel Giraud, Michel Roussin, Louise-Yvonne Casetta, Guy Drut...: jugés coupables" (in French). Libération. 26 October 2005.
  13. ^ "President's men tumble in Chirac sleaze trial". The Telegraph. 27 October 2005. Archived from the original on 6 April 2006.
  14. ^ "Rebondissements dans une affaire d'emplois fictifs". Agence France Presse. 3 December 2004.
  15. Le Canard Enchaîné
    , 31 March 2004
  16. ^ Lichfield, John (20 May 2021). "How corrupt is French politics?". Politico.
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