The Paris Court of Appeal must rule on the responsibility of François Bayrou in the affair of the European parliamentary assistants of the MoDem

The Paris Court of Appeal must now rule on the responsibility of François Bayrou in the affair of the European parliamentary assistants of the MoDem. On Monday, the public prosecutor's office requested two years of suspended imprisonment, a fine of 50,000 euros and three years of ineligibility against the former Prime Minister. The president of MoDem was acquitted at first instance.

At the end of a five-hour indictment, the prosecution described “a systemic practice which continued for more than ten years”, between 2005 and 2017. It accuses the centrist movement of having made assistants to MEPs paid by the European Parliament work for the party. Eleven contracts are targeted out of more than a hundred concluded during this period.

100,000 euros fine against the MoDem

Concerning François Bayrou, General Counsel Monica D’onofrio acknowledged the absence of written instructions: “You will not find writings in his hand giving express instructions from him. » But she considered that this was not enough to rule out her responsibility: “Who is responsible for this criminal offense? The manager. We cannot not be if we occupy such important positions. » The prosecution appealed his acquittal.

The prosecution also mentioned a “total confusion of the party’s sums with those allocated by the European Parliament”. She contested the existence of the “task force” of parliamentary assistants which, according to the defendants, worked from the Paris headquarters of the MoDem to promote the European action of elected officials. “Did this creature, an embryonic task force, really exist except when it is summoned when the questions hurt? », asked Monica D’onofrio. The prosecution also requested a fine of 100,000 euros against the MoDem and the same against the UDF.

“None of the accusations are, in our view, founded”

Other defendants are also concerned. Twenty months suspended prison sentence, 20,000 euros fine and one year suspended ineligibility were requested against the former treasurer Michel Mercier. For his successor Jean-Jacques Jégou, the prosecution is demanding twelve months suspended sentence, a fine of 15,000 euros and one year of suspended ineligibility. The accountant Alexandre Nardella risks, according to the requisitions, 18 months suspended sentence and a fine of 10,000 euros. Suspended sentences of six to fifteen months have been requested against several former MEPs.

All our articles on François Bayrou

François Bayrou reacted by assuring that “there has not been a single new element put forward by the prosecution”. He judges the requisitions “a little more moderate than in the first instance” and maintains his position: “The criminal court declared us not guilty, I am convinced that the court of appeal will have the same view on this case, none of the accusations are in our eyes founded. » The defense arguments must continue until the end of the week, before deliberating the decision for several weeks.