The mayor of Nice and his wife in the sights of justice. Mediapart revealed in an investigation published Tuesday, December 26, 2023 that Christian Estrosi and Laura Tenoudji were the subject of two reports for possible conflicts of interest in connection with Junior Eurovision 2023.
The municipality spent more than €600,000
The journalist and columnist of Telematin Laura Tenoudji co-hosted the opening ceremony of the event held in Nice this year at the end of November. An event financed to the tune of more than €600,000 by the municipality headed by her husband, Christian Estrosi.
Contacted by Mediapartthe Nice public prosecutor’s office confirms receipt of a report addressed to the courts and indicated that“an evaluation is underway”. The territorial official who made the report wished to remain anonymous.
Another event highlighted in September
The one the local press calls “the first lady of Nice” was chosen by France Télévisions Studio to host the evening of November 20. A selection disapproved by several protests from opposition elected officials and local agents, who have for some time been pointing the finger at the functioning of the Estrosi couple, married in November 2016.
In September 2023, a first report transmitted by “three elected environmentalists from the town hall and the metropolis” reported another event in which Laura Tenoudji was to intervene. It’s about Nice Climate Summitco-organized by two communities led by Christian Estrosi as well as the newspaper The gallery, for which she collaborates independently. To stem the controversy, Laura Tenoudji ended up giving up hosting the round tables.
An “instrumentalization of justice”
To return to the Eurovision controversy, Mediapart notes the questions of several elected officials regarding the remuneration of Laura Tenoudji. Some wonder if she did not receive a higher amount, in addition to her salary as a columnist on France 2, thanks to public funds.
For its part, France Télévisions assures that it has not signed any contract ad hoc and “his tickets and expenses were completely covered by him”. Laura Tenoudji assures, for her part, that the decision to present Eurovision comes from the channel, “which I naturally accepted”.
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“Instead of providing my columns for Télématin that week, I was relocated for Junior Eurovisionshe says to Mediapart. The question of conflict of interest therefore does not arise. » Those close to Christian Estrosi denounce a “instrumentalization of justice”.