He will explain himself in court, and “nowhere else”.
MP Hubert Julien-Laferrière, suspected of corruption in a case of foreign interference, announced Thursday that he was leaving the environmental group to “preserve the serenity of the parliamentary work of his colleagues”.
In a press release sent by his lawyer to AFP following a Radio France investigation, the deputy “discovered for the umpteenth time in the press the accusations made against him” and deplored a “violation of the secrecy of the investigation ".
If he “strongly refutes the accusations against him, he wishes to do so within the framework of the current legal proceedings and, at this stage, nowhere else”, insists the document.
“Pending this hearing, which he wishes to see fixed as soon as possible, he is withdrawing from the parliamentary group of environmentalists in order to preserve the serenity of the parliamentary work of his colleagues,” it is written.
In a separate press release, the environmentalist deputies confirmed this departure and underlined that the Radio France investigation “reveals new information, hitherto unknown to the Ecologist Group.
The actions described, if proven, contravene the imperative of probity, which must govern political life,” they believe.
The group will thus increase from 23 to 22 deputies.
Thousands of euros paid to defend the interests of Qatar?
Former socialist, macronist then ecologist, Hubert Julien-Laferrière is suspected of having promoted a cryptocurrency in exchange for possible counterparties.
His office was raided at the National Assembly at the end of September.
However, he was not heard by investigators at this stage, according to Radio France.
Financial magistrates are wondering whether the elected official from Rhône would have praised LimoCoin in February 2022, a cryptocurrency which turned out to be a scam, at the request of lobbyist Jean-Pierre Duthion and against possible counterparties.
The investigations are being carried out as part of the investigation opened by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF), particularly into charges of influence peddling, corruption of a French public official and private corruption.
It also targets suspicions of foreign interference, notably via Jean-Pierre Duthion, in the work of former BFMTV journalist Rachid M'Barki.
The Radio France investigation, unveiled this Thursday, reveals new elements in this affair: it highlights the MP's relations with the political scientist specializing in Qatar Nabil Ennasri, indicted and placed in pre-trial detention in October.
The parliamentarian is suspected of having received large sums from the latter, namely 5,000 euros per month and several bonuses of several hundred euros, for almost a year.
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Le Parisien already revealed last October that Nabil Ennasri and Jean-Pierre Duthion were accused of having played agents of influence for the benefit of foreign clients, by approaching Hubert Julien-Laferrière and Rachid M'Barki, both suspected of having notably promotes topics favorable to foreign powers.
The MP admitted to having made a “stupid” out of naivety, and had withdrawn from his political group.
To Mediapart, he admitted in February 2023 to having himself been in contact with Jean-Paul Duthion, but without having been paid.
“I messed up a bit (…) I should have been more wary,” he said.