Lyon Mayor Grégory Doucet Questioned by Police in Public Funds Misuse Probe
The mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet, was questioned by police on Wednesday in connection with an investigation into allegations of public funds misuse, according to a report by Le Figaro. The inquiry, which was opened on February 7, 2024, by the Lyon prosecutor’s office, follows a report from the regional audit office.
The mayor of Lyon, who is a member of the Ecologist party, was taken in for questioning by the financial brigade of the judicial police on Wednesday morning. According to sources close to the mayor, this is merely a routine step in the investigation, which aims to clarify the functioning of the city and defend the legality of decisions taken by the municipal administration. A source close to the mayor told Le Figaro that Grégory Doucet "is fully collaborating with the justice system and continues to carry out his duties with responsibility".
The investigation is centred on allegations of misuse of public funds by public officials. According to Le Figaro, a number of searches were carried out in March 2024 at Lyon city hall as part of the probe, during which several officials and advisors close to the mayor were questioned. It is understood that around a dozen special assistants were heard, and their phones, computers, and job descriptions were inspected.
In February 2024, the Lyon prosecutor’s office launched a judicial investigation into alleged embezzlement of public funds by public officials. This followed a report from the regional audit office, which reportedly raised concerns over the use of public funds.
The issue at the heart of the investigation relates to the employment of special assistants, often referred to as "chargés de mission", by the city of Lyon. These roles are administrative in nature but can sometimes have fuzzy boundaries with political decision-making.
According to Le Figaro, there are 12 such collaborative posts at the disposal of the mayor, a number determined by the size of the city’s population. However, it has been reported that Lyon employed around 20 such special assistants in 2021. The local right-wing opposition had challenged the municipal executive over the number of special assistants employed.
The municipality subsequently decided to regroup these posts within a new "institutional coordination department", replacing the former "cabinet office". This move was criticised by the local right-wing as an administrative "veneer". It remains unclear what conclusions, if any, the investigators will draw from their enquiries.
The office of the mayor of Lyon has confirmed that Grégory Doucet is cooperating fully with the investigation. At the time of writing, it was unclear what impact this might have on his position as mayor of Lyon.
Grégory Doucet’s office has stated that they are cooperating fully with the police and believe this process will ultimately demonstrate the legitimacy of their actions.
The regional audit office’s findings that prompted this investigation remain unclear. However their concerns will be examined in due course.
According to Le Figaro, many of those employed in such roles by local authorities do perform a valuable service and fall between administrative roles and those with some degree of political content.
Grégory Doucet remains in post as Mayor and the municipality has stated they are fully behind him.
Sources
Le Figaro was able to confirm that Grégory Doucet was being questioned on Wednesday in connection with the ongoing investigation.
"The mayor is collaborating fully with this process and will demonstrate that all actions taken were legitimate" – Office of Grégory Doucet.
These developments will be watched with interest by residents of Lyon.
The mayor’s questioning comes amid heightened scrutiny of local authority handling of public monies.
Further details will be reported in due course as this story continues to unfold.
Le Figaro will provide updates as more information becomes available.
