The former chief of staff of Marlène Schiappa, Sébastien Jallet, assured this Wednesday, June 7 in the Senate not to have solicited the main beneficiary association of the Marianne fund, questioned for the use of subsidies, contrary to the assertions of one of its officials.
Launched on April 20, 2021 by Marlène Schiappa, then Minister Delegate for Citizenship after the shock caused by the assassination of Professor Samuel Paty, this fund, initially endowed with 2.5 million euros, aimed to finance associations promoting the values of the Republic to fight against separatism.
'Neither transparent nor fair'
Sébastien Jallet was heard by the Senate commission of inquiry on this controversial fund, the day after the resignation of Christian Gravel, the boss of the CIPDR (Interministerial Committee for the Prevention of Delinquency and Radicalization), administrative structure managing this fund within the Ministry of the Interior. This commission will also hear Marlène Schiappa next Wednesday (10:00), as well as Marlène Schiappa's successor in the government Sonia Backes (16:00).
A report by the General Inspectorate of Administration (IGA) published Tuesday denounces the "privileged treatment" granted by Christian Gravel to the main beneficiary association, the USEPPM (Federative Union of Physical Education and Military Preparation Societies). "The USEPPM project is not a project that the firm and I went looking for," said Sébastien Jallet, saying he had arrived at the CIPDR. Mohamed Sifaoui, one of the two leaders of the USEPPM, had however assured in April that he had been encouraged to apply "by the members of the cabinet of Marlène Schiappa and by herself". "I did not take this initiative spontaneously," wrote the one who will be auditioned next Tuesday.
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In its report, the IGA also considers that the CIPDR's call for projects, on 20 April, "was neither transparent nor fair". Sébastien Jallet retorted that it is "fair", because all candidates according to him have seen "their requests appreciated", adding that the 20-day deadline to respond was "not untenable". Sébastien Jallet also considered that the Marianne Fund was "a project which, once past the impulse phase and validation, was essentially administrative missions". The project selection committee, in which Marlène Schiappa did not participate, "essentially validated the proposals made by the administration," he said, conceding that a file subsequently received an "unfavorable arbitration from the minister". The IGA noted that "all the testimonies collected indicate that the deputy minister erased herself from the process, once the official launch was over" on April 20.
