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The president of the French National Assembly has been charged with an old case of favoritism that already cost him his resignation when he was minister. The matter was dismissed in the first instance. Richard Ferrand says he will not resign.

The matter is embarrassing for the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, who made a banner for the cleanliness of public life. Ferrand, the first-time ally of the then candidate, was his right hand during the victorious 2017 presidential campaign.

He was rewarded with a ministry, that of Territorial Cohesion. Then the weekly Le Canard Enchaîné revealed that being president of the Mutual Societies of Brittany in 2011 he decided to rent several places that belonged to his partner. Ferrand resigned immediately. Although he always proclaimed his innocence.

Four months later, the case was closed. The Brest prosecutor's office considered that if there were "illegal interests" in their decision, the crime would have been prescribed and that there was no basis to accuse him of "abuse of trust" or "scam."

Ferrand was appointed head of the parliamentary group of La República en Marcha , Macron's party. When François de Rugy vacated the presidency of the Chamber to be (ephemeral) minister, in September 2018, Ferrand succeeded him in the position that occupies the fourth place in the French institutional hierarchy.

Meanwhile, the Anticor anti-corruption association filed a second lawsuit becoming a civil party. The case went to the Court of Great Instance of Lille. The. Prosecutors have reported that "the three investigating judges in charge of the dossier have decided to charge Richard Ferrand for illegal interests." The interrogation of the public office lasted 15 hours and ended at dawn on Thursday.

Ferrand, who denies all irregularities , has announced that "he is determined to continue his mission." That is, he will not resign. We will see. Under French law, the complaint means that there is "serious or consistent evidence" that the accused has committed a crime. It is true that many charges are not even judged.

President Macron has reacted immediately. Through a government spokesman, he says he retains "all his trust" in Ferrand. Yesterday, upon hearing the news of the court appearance, several charges of his party already came to defend him.

In any case, it opens a flank to the Government. Coincidence, yesterday two other allies of Macron, the head of the centrists, François Bayrou and former MEP Marielle De Sarnez were questioned in relation to the investigation of the misuse of the assistants of the MEPs of his party, the MoDem.

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