Arthur De Laborde 1:17 p.m., October 04, 2022

The secretary general of the Élysée Alexis Kohler was indicted on Monday for illegal taking of interest.

Justice accuses him of having hidden his links with the Aponte family, the main shareholder of the maritime operator MSC.

Despite this affair, the Elysée has reaffirmed its confidence in its secretary, assuring that the latter will not resign.

Earthquake at the Élysée.

Alexis Kohler, the secretary general of the Élysée, was indicted for illegal taking of interest on Monday.

The national financial prosecutor's office accuses him of not having declared his links with the Aponte family, the main shareholder of the maritime operator MSC.

And this, while he took part in negotiations with the company on behalf of the State.

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"Vice President"

But on the side of the palace, confidence is in order.

The Élysée ensures that Alexis Kohler will not resign and that he retains the confidence of the Head of State.

His indictment is only the logical continuation of a case in progress since 2018, explains an adviser to Europe 1. 

And so far, this procedure has not prevented him from working, he adds.

In other words, for the executive, the indictment of Alexis Kohler will not change anything and the president has absolutely no intention of separating from his closest collaborator, nicknamed by some "the vice president" as he controls, governs and arbitrates all state decisions.

Damage to public opinion?

The day after his re-election, Emmanuel Macron had also ignored the warnings of some of his relatives, who advised him not to renew Alexis Kohler as secretary general of the Elysée so that his power would not be destabilized. by possible legal proceedings.

On the political level, the president therefore assumes his choice until the end to behave as if there were no business.

He demonstrates a certain consistency since he has always repeated that he would not allow his agenda to be dictated by the pressure of judges and the media.

The counterpart is that he takes the risk of causing damage in public opinion by fueling the feeling of mistrust of the French towards the political class.