The French judiciary has launched an investigation into the election campaigns of President Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and 2022. The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirms this after Le Parisien newspaper reported on the investigation on Thursday. According to the Paris financial prosecutor’s office, an investigation is underway into whether Macron improperly benefited from the services of the US consulting firm McKinsey.
French tax authorities launched an investigation into McKinsey this spring. The French branch of American Consulting has been accused of tax evasion. No taxes have been paid in France for at least ten years, but the company says it has complied with the law.
The McKinsey case has already caused quite a stir during the presidential election campaign, as government spending on foreign advice rose sharply during President Macron’s first term.
It is now being investigated for mismanagement of campaign accounts and nepotism. Specifically, it is being investigated whether Macron received secret support from McKinsey during his election campaign, which he had to report on the balance sheet to finance his campaign.
In order to ensure equal opportunities for candidates, campaign costs are limited by French law. However, accusations surface again and again of politicians concealing expenditures, or manipulating bills to hide the fact that they are over budget.
The court also wants to investigate whether the government favored McKinsey in awarding consulting contracts and whether Macron was able to benefit from any consideration in return.
Le Monde previously wrote that former McKinsey advisers and advisers worked on Macron’s 2017 election campaign and that McKinsey employees subsequently secured positions in ministries and in Macron’s party.
In its response, the Elysee said only that it had taken note of the statement made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. It is up to the court to investigate the case completely independently, it seems.
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