Édouard Philippe granted assisted witness status in case of possible misappropriation of public funds

Questioning by financial judges

Former French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, the Horizons party candidate in the 2027 presidential election and mayor of Le Havre, was questioned on Thursday, October 29, by two financial investigating judges in a case of possible misappropriation of public funds, favoritism and moral harassment at the Le Havre agglomeration community. Following the hearing, he was granted the status of assisted witness — a position intermediate between an ordinary witness and a person against whom criminal proceedings have been opened. According to euronews, Philippe, through his lawyer Emmanuel Marsigny, 'welcomed' the decision: 'This confirms that he has nothing to be blamed for in this case,' the lawyer told AFP. The Picovschi firm explains that an assisted witness appears in the judicial investigation as an involved party, but no offense is directly charged against him, and the status may change if new circumstances emerge.

Where the case came from

The case began with complaints by Cornelia Findaisen, former deputy director general of the Le Havre urban community. The first complaint, filed in 2023, led to a preliminary investigation and searches by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office; the second, two years later, with a motion to recognize her as a civil party, led to the case being referred to the financial investigating judges in Paris. In January of last year, Findaisen was granted whistleblower status. 'The hearing of Édouard Philippe shows that my alert deserved to be investigated,' she said. According to her, after she pointed out the alleged arrangement, she was suspended and subjected to moral harassment.

The Cité numérique agreement

At the center of the investigation is a multi-year agreement that Philippe, who became president of Le Havre Seine Métropole in July 2020, signed with Stéphanie de Bazelaire, who headed the LH French Tech association on a voluntary basis, concerning the development and management of Le Havre's digital hub, the Cité numérique. The association was the only respondent to the call for proposals and was to receive 2.154 million euros in public funding. Investigators are seeking to establish whether Philippe and de Bazelaire concluded a 'pact' involving, in the wording of the complaint, 'political, financial and networking support in exchange for the management of the Cité numérique.' It is important for the reader to distinguish the status of the parties: no official charges have yet been brought against Philippe, and the investigation must only establish whether such an arrangement existed.