A civil servant has filed a legal complaint against French presidential hopeful Edouard Philippe over alleged influence peddling in the northern city of Le Havre where he is mayor, a lawyer said late Monday.
Philippe, a former prime minister and strong centrist contender for the 2027 presidential elections, has denied all the allegations.
A former senior official with the local authority, who has asked to remain anonymous, filed the complaint on Friday against Philippe and two others, her lawyer told French news agency AFP, as well as the Le Monde newspaper and the France Inter broadcaster.
The accusations include alleged bullying, favouritism and illegal taking of interest, said lawyer Jerome Karsenti.
France's rights ombudswoman in January gave the female civil servant the status of whistleblower, a label Philippe has rejected.
The plaintiff had already filed a first complaint in September 2023, relating to the setting up of a digital hub in the city that aims to encourage innovation.
That led financial prosecutors later the same year to open a preliminary probe targeting Philippe and two other Le Havre officials on suspicion of influence peddling, favouritism, embezzlement of public funds and bullying.
As part of that investigation, French police in April 2024 searched Le Havre's city hall.
A judicial source told AFP that probe was still ongoing and investigators were examining documents seized during the city hall raid.
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'Sad vendetta'
But the plaintiff told AFP and the two other media outlets that she felt like the case was not moving forward, and her lawyer said he feared the financial prosecutor's office would be too scared to look into the alleged involvement of "a probable future presidential candidate".
She hoped that this new complaint would trigger the appointment of an independent investigating magistrate, and allow her to be informed of the investigation's progress as a civil party in the case.
Philippe, who was prime minister from 2017 to 2020, has rejected all accusations.
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"The plaintiff is pursuing her sad vendetta which has nothing to do with the cry of a whistleblower but rather relates to the unhappiness of a civil servant whose contract was not renewed," he told AFP.
Philippe runs a centrist movement called Horizons that is allied with – but not part of – President Emmanuel Macron's centrist faction.
He has firmly declared his intention to run for president in 2027, with polls showing him as the strongest candidate from the centre to take on the far right.
(with AFP)
