Presidential 2017: the indictments validated in the investigation into Mélenchon's campaign accounts

The association l'Ere du peuple, founded in 2015 by relatives of the leader of France Insoumise, the financial agent of the candidate, Marie-Pierre Oprandi, and the deputy Bastien Lachaud, had filed requests for the annulment of the proceedings against them, which were examined on June 16 by the investigating chamber of the court of appeal.

According to the judicial source, "the investigating chamber said there was no reason for any of the cancellations requested".

Asked by AFP, the lawyers for the defendants did not wish to comment.

In this case, the investigating judges have been considering since November 2018 the use of public funds by the team of the candidate LFI for the 2017 campaign.

The Era of the people had invoiced 440,027 euros to the candidate for the rental of rooms or computer equipment and the intellectual services of its four employees, including the deputies Bastien Lachaud and Mathilde Panot.

The National Commission for Campaign Accounts (CNCCFP) had noted a difference of 152,688 euros between the salaries paid to deputies and the amounts invoiced for their services to the agent.

According to Mediapart, this allowed the association to generate a margin of 66% and 59% for the two deputies.

Responsible for validating the reimbursement of candidates' expenses with public money, the commission had refused to reimburse this margin made by the People's Era and had reported the facts to justice.

In the spring of 2021, the Ere du Peuple was indicted for illicit loan of labour, aggravated prosecutions a year later when the judges also indicted it for aggravated fraud, breach of trust and illegal financing the country.

The financial agent of the LFI candidate, Marie-Pierre Oprandi, was indicted in April 2021 for illicit loan of labor and use of forgery, then in September 2021, the LFI deputy Bastien Lachaud, who was then an employee as treasurer of the association, was in turn prosecuted, mainly for illicit loan of labour, forgery, fraud and attempted fraud.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon disputes any violation in this investigation and in a second judicial investigation, still in progress, concerning the employment of LFI's parliamentary assistants in the European Parliament.

© 2022 AFP