Marianne Fund: the prefect responsible for its management resigns

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credits: Amaury Cornu / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 20:12 p.m., June 06, 2023

Christian Gravel, prefect in charge of the Interministerial Committee for the Prevention of Delinquency and Radicalization (CIPDR) managing the controversial Marianne Fund for the fight against separatism, "wished to submit his resignation, which was accepted," the Ministry of the Interior said Tuesday in a statement. This decision follows the publication of a report by the General Inspectorate of Administration (IGA) concerning the subsidy paid to one of the associations benefiting from the fund by the CIPDR. Christian Gravel was the secretary general of this fund management committee, based at the Ministry of the Interior.

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A fund initially endowed with 2.5 million euros

"The general secretariat of the CIPDR has not carried out the necessary steps to properly monitor the implementation of the grant paid to the USEPPM", the main beneficiary association of the fund, denounces the IGA report published by Place Beauvau. "This failure is, in part, attributable to the association, which did not transmit the documentation required by the agreement in time. It also stems from failures in the organization of the service, a lack of vigilance and a privileged treatment reserved for this association, "he adds.

Initially endowed with 2.5 million euros, the Marianne fund launched on April 20, 2021 by Marlène Schiappa after the shock caused by the assassination of Professor Samuel Paty, aimed to finance associations carrying discourses promoting the values of the Republic to bring, especially on social networks, the contradiction to radical Islam.

A call for projects "neither transparent nor fair"

The report also stresses that the CIPDR's "call for proposals" to select initiatives "has been neither transparent nor fair". It also regrets that "the use made of the grant received by the USEPPM (which was initially to receive about 355.00 euros, editor's note) was not in accordance with the objectives set in the agreement" between it and the CIPDR. And that "part of the subsidy was not spent in accordance with the agreement".

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The mission "recommends" that "the CIPDR ask the USEPPM to reimburse almost half of the grant paid". All of the IGA's recommendations "will be implemented," Beauvau said. According to the ministry, another IGA report on all 17 associations benefiting from the fund will be submitted at the end of June.