PanamaTimes

Sunday, Jan 19, 2025

French prosecutors probe Macron election campaign over funding, McKinsey links

French prosecutors probe Macron election campaign over funding, McKinsey links

Investigators look into the role played by McKinsey and other consultancy firms in two presidential races.
French prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into the role played by consultancy firms in the 2017 and 2022 presidential campaigns, France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s office said Thursday. The probe follows a lengthy controversy over President Emmanuel Macron’s ties to U.S. consulting giant McKinsey.

Investigators are looking into allegations of irregular campaign accounting and suspicions of underbilling of work performed by consultancy firms during the campaigns. Campaign funding is strictly controlled in France, where funding by companies is illegal and funding by individuals strictly limited.

Another investigation has been opened into allegations of “favoritism,” according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office. According to newspaper Le Parisien, there are suspicions of wrongdoing concerning the “conditions” in which public contracts were attributed by the French government to U.S. firm McKinsey.

Macron has repeatedly come under fire over his ties to McKinsey, dating back to his first election campaign. POLITICO first reported last year that the government hired the leading consultancy to help with its coronavirus vaccine rollout, raising questions about the Macron administration’s overall use of consultancies.

A former top official in Macron’s Renaissance party dismissed the allegations Thursday. “I’ve dealt with party funding for many years … I can tell you I am completely serene,” said the official. A representative for the Elysée told Le Parisien that the president had “taken note” of the investigations.

A four-month investigation led by senators and published in March found that the government and French public administrations had signed contracts worth at least €2.4 billion with consultancy firms since 2018.

The report stated that consulting expenses at government ministries had more than doubled since Macron came to power in 2017, with a sharp acceleration in 2021. Consultancy firms had been used on issues ranging from the coronavirus vaccine rollout to digital transformation. Senators had been particularly incensed over the granting of a €500,000 contract to study “the evolution of the teaching profession.”

The Senate investigative committee also accused McKinsey representatives of lying about its tax situation in France during parliamentary hearings. Alleged irregularities in the company’s corporate tax payments in France led to a first investigation being opened in March against McKinsey over allegations of money laundering and tax fraud, which is still ongoing.

Controversies over lucrative contracts granted to consulting firms dogged Macron’s bid for reelection this year, and led the government to announce new rules to rein in the use of external firms for policymaking.

McKinsey’s lawyers declined to comment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Bill Ackman Praises Social Media Platform X as 'The New Media'
California Wildfires Set to Become Costliest in U.S. History
Chief Justice Roberts Warns Against Threats to Judicial Independence
Generation Z Faces Scrutiny Over Workplace Readiness
Democrats Call on Biden to Protect Controversial Temporary Protected Status Program
Trinidad and Tobago Declares State of Emergency as Murder Rates Surge
Migrant Children Abandoned at U.S.-Mexico Border
The Closure of the Global Engagement Center: Controversy, Claims, and Conclusions
The American Democrats Party Strives to Rise from the Ashes
Trump Nominates Kevin Marino Cabrera as Ambassador to Panama Amid Canal Dispute
Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger Located in Nursing Home Following Six Months of Inactivity
A large group of unauthorized migrants is traveling through Mexico with the aim of reaching the USA before Trump assumes office.
A Democrat Congresswoman with blue and black hair is having a breakdown over "President Musk."
Argentina Defies Predictions with Record $17 Billion Trade Surplus, But Is the Growth Sustainable?
Disney's High Seas Gamble: Navigating the Waters of Cruise Expansion
The Surprising Impact of Extreme Heat on Mexico's Youth
Polarization: The Word That Unites a Divided Era
Exoneration in the Subway: The Complexities of Self-Defense and Public Safety
The Tragic Passing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Highlights Corporate Security Challenges
Global Developments: Violence in Sinaloa, Political Chaos in the Bahamas, Venezuelan Voting Disputes, and a Major UK Drug Bust
OpenAI and Anduril: Charting AI's Path in Modern Warfare
The Pardon of Hunter Biden: A Symbol of Hypocrisy
Biden Crafted the Strategy Used by Trump
South Korea's Democracy Tested: President Yoon’s Martial Law Reversal Sparks Political Reckoning
Seoul Crisis: Yoon Suk Yeol's Martial Law Blunder Triggers Political Upheaval
Generative AI's Limited Impact on Elections Highlighted by Meta
France at the Precipice: Barnier’s Administration Confronts Unprecedented No-Confidence Vote
Jaguar Unveils Electric Concept Car, Type 00
White House Defends Presidential Pardon of Hunter Biden
xAI by Elon Musk: Transforming Ambition with a $50 Billion Valuation
President-elect Donald Trump, has announced on Truth Social that Kashyap "Kash" Patel, will be the next Director of the FBI
A Historic Milestone or Risky Precedent? The Assisted Dying Bill Splits both Parliament and the Nation in England and Wales
Trump's Tariff Threat Looms Large as Trudeau Heads to Mar-a-Lago for Talks
Canada's Oil Industry Faces Uncertainty Amidst Trump's Tariff Threat
World Court to Assess Global Legal Responsibilities on Climate Change
What the Pink Elephant Test Reveals About Thought Control
Trudeau Visits Trump in Florida Amid Rising Tariff Concerns
Is Elon Musk the Unofficial President of America?
Impact of Proposed US Tariffs on Canadian Oil Exports
U.S. policymakers face a contentious debate over whether to engage with Nicolás Maduro's regime in Venezuela.
COP29's Carbon Trading Deal Faces Major Criticisms
Indian Diplomats in Canada Monitored: Government Raises Alarm
Putin Warns Trump of Ongoing Safety Concerns
Claudia Sheinbaum Challenges Trump's Migration Claims
Insights from Dostoevsky: The Impact of Self-Deception
Trump Administration Nominees Face Threats, FBI Confirms
Elon Musk Criticizes Fighter Jets, Advocates for Drone Warfare
Kim Kardashian's Social Media Activity Fuels Political Speculation
An Examination of AI's Influence on Future Work and Life
Tulsi Gabbard's Contentious Nomination for Director of National Intelligence
×