Sylvie Goulard is once again in Anticor’s sights. Confirming information from Releasethe anti-corruption association said on Wednesday that it wanted an investigating judge to investigate the deputy governor of the Banque de France concerning former services performed for an American think tank, after the dismissal of a first investigation.
Anticor had already filed a simple complaint in 2019 against the former MEP, ephemeral Minister of the Armies of Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and currently number three of the Banque de France since 2018. The PNF had opened a preliminary investigation, closed without further action on November 19, 2020 for “absence of infringement”.
“Insufficient” investigations according to Anticor
The association considers the investigations carried out by the PNF “insufficient” and therefore filed a complaint in Paris on June 9 with a civil action, which almost systematically allows referral to an investigating judge. The PNF indicated that it had not received this complaint to date. This covers the offenses of passive corruption, passive influence peddling, illegal taking of interests and breach of trust.
Anticor wonders about the reality of the work done by the former MEP for the Berggruen Institute, a think tank based in California, but also and above all about the possible counterparties in exchange for the remuneration paid under this contract.
“It’s work that is proven”, according to Sylvie Goulard
Sylvie Goulard admitted having worked as a “special adviser” for more than 10,000 euros monthly between October 2013 and January 2016 with the Council for the Future of Europe, a think tank founded by the Berggruen Institute, when she was a MEP. This organization was founded by a German-American billionaire, Nicolas Berggruen, once described as a “vulture” financier by the magazine Forbes. The former minister had assured that this job, authorized by the regulations, had been declared and that she had “no relation of any kind with the commercial activities” of Nicolas Berggruen. “We did activities related to reflection, group facilitation, organization of meetings. It’s proven work,” she insisted during a hearing before the European Parliament.
This is also not the only case that concerns the former MEP. Sylvie Goulard is indeed indicted in the investigation of parliamentary assistants to Modem MEPs for “embezzlement of public funds”.