The Council of State agreed on Wednesday February 8 to a Dutch journalist who has been asking the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo since 2018 to communicate to him her representation expenses for the year 2017, which she refused to do.
The Wise Persons canceled “
the implicit decision by which the Mayor of Paris refused to communicate to Mr. de Vries the copy of the expense reports and the travel receipts, the catering expense reports as well as the receipts for other entertainment expenses committed by the mayor of Paris, as well as by the members of her cabinet, for the year 2017
".
The Council of State enjoins the elected socialist to reconsider Stefan de Vries' request "
within one month
" and orders the City to pay him 3000 euros for procedural costs.
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Hindering the publication of an article
In March 2021, the Paris administrative court had already acceded to Stefan de Vries' request, ordering the City of Paris to communicate these documents to it.
The City then appealed to the Council of State to have this judgment set aside.
If she won her case on this point, the Council of State still gives reason on the merits to Stefan de Vries, who said he was hindered in his desire to publish an article on the expenses of the town hall in 2017 , the year in which Paris was designated host city of the 2024 Olympics. To do this, the mayor had multiplied travels around the world to support the Parisian candidacy.
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"
Expense notes and travel receipts as well as catering expense notes and representation expense receipts from local elected officials or public officials constitute administrative documents, which can be communicated to anyone who requests them
", decides the Board of state.
He considers that the "
communication of the requested documents, which relate to the activity of the Mayor of Paris within the framework of her mandate and of the members of her cabinet within the framework of their functions, cannot be regarded as calling into question the privacy of these persons
.
In July 2018, the Commission for access to administrative documents (Cada), seized by the journalist, had declared the request for communication of the representation expenses of the members of the cabinet to be without object, but issued a favorable opinion for the communication of the other documents requested. .
Contacted by AFP, the town hall did not react immediately to the decision of the Council of State.