The city of Nantes lodged a complaint for accounting irregularities after the revelation of significant cash flows within the company producing Folle Journée, a famous classical music festival, whose CEO has resigned.
Read also: La Folle Journée de Nantes postponed to spring
The town hall had requested an audit of the Mixed Economy Company (SAEM) La Folle Journée after the non-certification, at the end of January, of the 2019 accounts of the Espace Simone de Beauvoir, a space for the defense of women's rights chaired by Joëlle Kérivin , also general manager of the classical music festival.
This audit revealed
"very significant cash flows linked to advances of salaries and representation costs, within the two structures, far greater than the expenses actually observed and justified"
, indicated the town hall in a press release explaining that it had lodged a complaint. with the public prosecutor on March 1.
The elements revealed by the audit constitute
"obviously and at least a fault of management of the company"
, explained the SAEM in a separate press release, explaining to have also lodged a complaint.
“The chairman of the board of directors summoned the general manager. At the end of this interview, she handed him his resignation, which he accepted ”
, also specifies this press release.
“It cannot have any consequences”
on the festival itself,
“because there, unfortunately, it's a personal act, it's a personal behavior.
There are sums at stake, but I think that it does not jeopardize the Folle Journée at all ”
, explained to AFP its artistic director René Martin.
The SAEM Folle Journée is a
"legal structure completely independent of us, and I had no access to any account, I did not see the financial results, I simply knew if we were balanced or not,"
continued Mr. Martin.
The Center for Achievements and Artistic Studies (CREA,
Editor's note
), the service provider responsible for the artistic direction of the festival, expressed its
"great astonishment"
after learning about the audit and the resignation of its director.
Created in 1995, the Folle Journée aims to make classical music accessible to a large audience with short concerts which regularly attract some 150,000 spectators.
