Raid at the Élysée Palace! The courts are investigating the awarding of contracts related to the Pantheon ceremonies.

This is an extremely rare occurrence! Two judges went to the Élysée Palace to conduct a search as part of a judicial inquiry into the awarding of several public contracts related to the organization of the Pantheon ceremonies. These contracts concern the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (National Monuments Centre). The investigation is specifically targeting Shortcut Events, the company responsible for organizing these major events for the French Presidency for several years.

A previous refusal of access in April

A first search attempt had taken place on April 14, but investigators and magistrates from the National Financial Prosecutor's Office were not allowed to enter the presidential palace grounds. At the time, they were met with an interpretation of Article 67 of the Constitution, according to which premises attached to the Presidency of the Republic enjoyed a form of inviolability.

The legal framework invoked

Article 67 stipulates that the President of the Republic is not, in principle, responsible for acts committed in the exercise of his duties. During his term of office, he cannot be compelled to testify, nor be subject to legal proceedings, investigations, or prosecutions before a French court or administrative authority. This time, the searches were able to proceed after prior institutional discussions aimed at facilitating their organization.

An investigation has been opened into serious incidents.

As a reminder, the judicial investigation was opened in October 2025 for acts of favoritism, illegal taking of interest, corruption and influence peddling. At the heart of the case are the conditions of awarding certain public contracts related to the pantheonization ceremonies, organized to bring into the Pantheon personalities considered to have marked national history.

Shortcut Events in the crosshairs

Investigators are questioning, in particular, the choice of Shortcut Events to manage these ceremonies over a 22-year period. Each interment at the Panthéon would have represented an expense of approximately 2 million euros for the state.

A rare search at the Élysée Palace

The last search conducted at the presidential palace dated back to 2018, in the context of the Benalla affair, during the first term ofEmmanuel MacronAt this stage, the Élysée Palace has not commented on these new legal operations.