Embezzlement: LFI mayor of Saint-Denis targeted by NFP investigation
Bally Bagayoko, mayor of Saint-Denis, has been the subject of a preliminary investigation by the national financial prosecutor since 19 August. The complaint concerns his employment conditions at RATP.
Preliminary investigation opened against Bally Bagayoko over embezzlement suspicions
Bally Bagayoko, 53, mayor of Saint-Denis and prominent figure of La France insoumise (LFI), has been targeted since 19 August by a preliminary investigation by the national financial prosecutor (PNF), reports Le Figaro. The offences cited are "embezzlement of public funds, handling of stolen goods and extortion of public funds".
The prosecutor stated in a press release that it wished to "carry out the appropriate checks concerning the employment conditions of Monsieur Bally Bagayoko within the Autonomous Operator of Paris Public Transport (RATP)". The mayor has held a full-time executive position within this operator since 2001, which raises questions about the compatibility of this employment with his elective functions.
The PNF investigation notably follows a complaint against an unknown party filed on 6 August by the association "AC!! Anti-Corruption", founded in 2021 by former members of Anticor. It was this complaint that triggered the opening of proceedings at the national level.
Handling of stolen goods refers to the act of concealing, possessing, transmitting or profiting from goods knowing they are the proceeds of a crime or misdemeanour. Extortion of public funds, meanwhile, targets any person holding public authority who receives a sum they know is not rightfully owed to them.
At this stage, this is a preliminary investigation. No committal for trial has been announced against Bally Bagayoko.
Source: Le Figaro