A case that will pursue her. This Wednesday, an anti-corruption association indicated that it had filed a complaint against X for misappropriation of public funds after the October trip to Polynesia by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, at the heart of a controversy and mocked by the opposition.
In its complaint filed Tuesday with the Paris prosecutor’s office, the association “AC!! Anti-Corruption” questions the “stated purpose” of the trip, which was to “check the surfing facilities, as part of the 2024 Olympics” which will be held from July 26 to August 11.
“Either the trip was official, and therefore had to be covered by the city, or it was private and had to be on a personal basis”
The mayor of Paris “took the opportunity to visit her daughter, who lives on an island near Tahiti”, underlines the association. Anne Hidalgo was accompanied by Pierre Rabadan, sports assistant, Jacques Martial, overseas assistant, but also by her spouse, adds the association.
“Immediately the question arises of who paid for the trip,” raises the association. According to the City of Paris, the transport costs of the Parisian delegation amounted to 40,955 euros and those of accommodation and catering to 18,545 euros.
“Either the trip was official, and therefore had to be covered by the city, or it was private and had to be in a personal capacity,” points out the complaint.
Cleared by the city’s ethics commission
In Polynesia, the mayor of Paris should have held several meetings but “did not communicate” about these meetings, underlines the complaint, while her deputy, Pierre Rabadan, visited the Teahupoo site, in Tahiti, where the surfing event is to take place.
Last week, the town hall acknowledged that the socialist councilor had not visited the site in person, but assured that this decision had been taken “at the request of Polynesian president” Moetai Brotherson, due to “local tensions “.
The trip was “regular in terms of ethics”, also estimated, on Friday November 10, the ethics commission of the City of Paris.
The association hopes to open an investigation
“It is noted that part of the program was not carried out by the mayor of Paris but by Pierre Rabadan, in his capacity as deputy (…) in charge in particular of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, from October 21 after -noon. Thus, the City of Paris did not finance the personal and private activity of the Mayor of Paris with public funds and did not suffer any damage,” explained the commission.
The association hopes that the Paris prosecutor’s office will open investigations to determine “whether there are mistakes or not”, according to its president Marcel Claude.
The City of Paris defends its mayor
In a press release, the Paris town hall takes note of the complaint and indicates that it is “at the disposal of justice to provide all the elements necessary for the manifestation of the truth. They will make it possible to demonstrate an accusation without the slightest foundation.”
On November 6, the town hall had “already extensively detailed the elements of this trip, concerning the interest for the City, the program and the cost. Contrary to what the association indicates, repeating erroneous information published in the press, the visit to the competition site was only one step among others in this trip,” adds the press release.