An investigation into illegal taking of interests by a former civil servant was opened after Anticor reported the case of Anne-France Mattlet, a former civil servant and soldier recruited by the Europêche lobby, the national financial prosecutor's office said on Friday ( PNF) requested by AFP.
The anti-corruption association had sent a report to the PNF on November 9 on
“the problematic recruitment”
of Anne-France Mattlet in April 2022 by Europêche, the main interest group representing fishing organizations in Europe.
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On secondment to the French organization of frozen and deep-frozen tuna producers (Orthongel), she is responsible in particular for the revision of the European Union's fishing control system.
Anne-France Mattlet, promoted to the active army in 2014, was, among other things, assistant to the Directorate of Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture (DPMA) between September 2018 and February 2020. She was in charge of monitoring fisheries agreements with the countries of the North and the Indian Ocean, relates in his description consulted by AFP the anti-corruption association based on his professional profile.
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She was also vice-president in 2019 then president between 2020 and March 2022 of the application committee of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), an intergovernmental organization.
The military ethics commission, the body of the Ministry of the Armed Forces responsible for deciding on the compatibility of the projects of a soldier wishing to work in the private sector, had given a favorable opinion on March 9 to his recruitment by Europêche.
Conflicts of interest?
But according to Anticor, it seems that
“Ms. Mattlet did not produce all the elements”
allowing this commission
“to make the most complete analysis with regard to her situation”
.
For example, the opinion of the commission does not mention its activity with the IOTC, underlines the association.
In its report, Anticor lists several situations that may be similar to conflicts of interest since Anne-France Mattlet took over as head of the Europêche tuna group, which confirms
"the inadequacy of the conclusions made by the ethics of the military"
, estimates the association.
According to Anticor, which was alerted to the case of Anne-France Mattlet by the Bloom ocean protection NGO, the three-year period imposed by law on a civil servant wishing to join the private sector in a sector of activity close to , has not been complied with.
When Anticor was reported to the courts, Europêche and Orthongel rejected the charges in a press release, denouncing
“a slanderous disinformation campaign carried out by militant NGOs”
having
“the sole objective of inducing a suspicion of conflict between 'interest'
.