Five sources told AFP on Saturday that Ms. Elimas was the subject of an administrative investigation when she is accused of having harassed collaborators.

Requested, the ministry "confirms that there is indeed an administrative investigation" in progress "on the human resources functioning of the cabinet of Mrs. Elimas".

"There is no fixed date, at this stage, for the submission of the report", specified the ministry, even if four of the five sources indicated for their part that the main part of the hearings had been done and that the submission of the report would be imminent.

Solicited on Saturday by AFP, the Secretary of State, who entered the government in July 2020 and aged 48, did not wish to comment, referring to her entourage.

"The Ministry has asked the General Inspectorate for Education, Sport and Research (IGESR) to carry out an internal inspection within the office of the Secretary of State, in order to shed light on any difficulties related to labor relations within the cabinet", confirmed the cabinet of the Secretary of State.

This inspection relates to the functioning of the cabinet in general and does not specifically target the Secretary of State, it was insisted.

"This inspection began in early January and the conclusions must be made in the coming weeks," added this source.

"If malfunctions were to be brought to light by this report, it is obvious that all necessary measures would be taken to remedy them", it was further indicated.

According to concordant sources, all members of the cabinet, including Ms. Elimas, were heard.

"Descent into hell"

Several sources told AFP that Ms. Elimas was accused of acts of "harassment" or even "mistreatment" of employees.

All preferred to remain anonymous.

Half a dozen people would be victims, according to two people who have worked since July 2020 in the office of this human resources specialist.

One of these two sources mentions "numerous sick leaves" and "departures of employees".

Another person who has worked for the firm mentions a problem of "generalized" harassment.

A third person evokes his "descent into hell", insisting on the many "tantrums of anger" of the one who was a deputy for Val-d'Oise until her arrival in the government, targeting her collaborators, in particular during meetings.

At least three sources also pointed out that another of the dysfunctions that the administrative investigation would look into would be the employment within the cabinet of a very close friend of Ms. Elimas, described by one of these sources as "untouchable". .

The firm did not wish to comment on this subject.

Nathalie Elimas was elected in 2017 MoDem MP for Val d'Oise.

At the start of the five-year term, several MoDem members of the government, including Sylvie Goulard (Army), Marielle de Sarnez (European Affairs) and François Bayrou (Justice) had to leave the government following the opening of an investigation into suspicions of fictitious jobs for MEPs' assistants.

Mrs. Elimas has rightly made the fight against bullying in the school environment one of the priorities of her action since she entered the government.

She has traveled on this subject, for example to Finland.

In October, an audit commissioned by Matignon and obtained by AFP concluded that there was no major malfunction in the government information service (GIS), whose management had been questioned in an article in Le Monde. .

The audit did not find "harassment", but occasional "outburst behavior".

At the end of December, a mission on harassment within the Prime Minister's office was set up.

dca-gd-pr-jmt/cb/dlm

© 2022 AFP