The police searched Lyon City Hall and interviewed several project managers as part of a judicial investigation into the nature of their tasks, we learned on Wednesday from a police and judicial source.
Around twenty police officers searched the premises of the town hall on Tuesday morning, administered since 2020 by environmentalist Grégory Doucet, according to these sources confirming information from the “Tribune de Lyon” site.
These operations were carried out, according to these sources, as part of a judicial investigation aimed at determining whether the positions of these project managers correspond to the regulations, namely whether they are indeed carrying out projects for the city and not for the elected.
Similar cases
Searches for a similar case were carried out last October in the Parisian premises of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, led by Republican Laurent Wauquiez, and of the Régions de France association.
The national financial prosecutor's office is investigating suspicions of “ghost jobs”.
In 2019, searches took place at the home of Gérard Collomb, former mayor of Lyon (Rhône) and in the premises of the Lyon town hall, as part of an investigation opened by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) into a possible “misappropriation of public funds” for the benefit of the ex-partner of the councilor who had held several municipal jobs.
No comments from the City of Lyon
According to the “La Tribune de Lyon” website, it was the regional audit chamber, contacted by right-wing elected officials, which reported potential anomalies to the public prosecutor.
The latter then opened a judicial investigation, entrusted to three investigating judges.
“The City of Lyon is, of course, at the disposal of the justice system and does not wish to make any comments on an ongoing investigation,” a spokesperson told AFP.