In the spotlight: short-time work scammers

Audio 04:28

Hundreds of fraudsters have diverted the bagatelle of 225 million euros from the state coffers, 225 million which were intended for short-time work (Illustrative image).

© REUTERS / Eric Gaillard

By: Frédéric Couteau Follow

9 min

Publicity

The crooks of short-time work 

": this is the headline of the

Parisian

which reveals an incredible case of mass fraud: hundreds of fraudsters have diverted the bagatelle of 225 million euros from the State coffers, 225 million which were intended for partial unemployment, introduced by Emmanuel Macron during the first wave of the pandemic last March.

Among these crooks, " 

small bosses claiming unemployment for employees still at work, or others inventing employees, like this beautician from Saint-Denis declaring 50 fictitious employees and who thus embezzled 200,000 euros

.

"

But, further points out

Le Parisien

, well-organized criminal groups have also taken advantage of the flaws in the device to embezzle even larger sums ... Several million euros ... By usurping thousands of corporate identities.

Out of a total of 225 million diverted, 128 million were recovered but 53 million went up in smoke

..."

Commentary from the

Parisian

 : “As 

much as these short-time working scams are shocking, they should not discredit a device that has proven to be as valuable as it is expensive for our economy.

(…) We should reach 3 million beneficiaries of partial unemployment in November.

Over the year, we can estimate the cost of this device at more than 33 billion euros.

It has made it possible to maintain most of the net wages of those who have benefited from it (…) and it has served as a shock absorber for a crisis which otherwise would have been incredibly violent. 

"

A bill that is controversial

Also on the front page is a bill that sows discord.

“ 

It was a text that was to open a long security sequence in Parliament,

points

Le Monde, and anchor the majority in the regal turn desired by Emmanuel Macron.

The examination, since the day before yesterday, of the bill on 'global security' promises to be a test, with more than 1,300 amendments.

The text, accused of infringing fundamental freedoms by defenders of public freedoms and journalists, is already causing cracks in the 'common house'.

Since its examination in the Law Committee two weeks ago, the blame has followed one another: that of the Defender of Rights Claire Hédon, first, those of the journalists' companies then, before the warning, Monday, of the Council of Rights l man of the United Nations.

 "

So what's the problem?

Response from

Le Monde

 : " 

if (in this bill) the strengthening of municipal police forces and the supervision of private security are rather consensus, several loopholes have been opened by the section on the protection of law and order forces and article 24, which makes it punishable by one year of imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros for disseminating, 'with the aim of harming his physical or mental integrity, the image of the face or any other identification element of an agent of the national police or the national gendarmerie '.

 "

Interference with the freedom to inform?

The freedoms put in custody

 ", indignant

La Charente Libre

.

“ 

The Assembly has not yet passed the law on comprehensive security, but we have seen the first consequences on the work of journalists.

It can be summed up in a first sentence, launched by a Parisian police officer (during the demonstration against this law on Tuesday evening): 'You leave the premises with your press card or you are called in ...' Therefore prohibition to do your job,

deplores

The Charente Libre.

A work that also allows the passage to show the violence of the demonstrators on the police.

But no,

exclaims the newspaper

, following a demonstration to the end now makes the journalist a demonstrator, therefore suspect.

 "

The threat of the ultra-right

Finally, "

 this ultra-right which worries the police

 ": it is the great title of

Liberation

.

White supremacists, survivalists, followers of conspiracy theories or the 'big replacement' ... They are, according to information, between 1,000 and 1,500 individuals likely to take action and carry out terrorist action in France,

 " says

Liberation.

“ 

The danger is all the more difficult to fight, points out the newspaper, that the threat is multifaceted.

Contrary to what one might think, these small groups are not made up only of young fascists with shaved heads, no, some have many retirees, former soldiers or ex-cops who consider that the country is poorly protected.

Even institutionalized personalities.

 "

So many fanatics, therefore, who constitute, according to

Liberation

, a "

 terrorist threat, taken with the greatest seriousness by the authorities

.

"

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Newspaper