François Bayrou will appear before the Paris Court of Appeal starting Wednesday in the case concerning the European parliamentary assistants of the MoDem party. Prosecuted for complicity in the misappropriation of public funds, the centrist leader was acquitted in the first instance in February 2024, due to reasonable doubt. The public prosecutor's appeal now opens a new legal chapter nearly ten years after the start of the investigation.
The prosecution suspected the UDF and then the MoDem of having used European Parliament funds to pay assistants between 2005 and 2017, who allegedly worked for the parties. Ten contracts, representing approximately €250,000, were ultimately upheld by the court. The MoDem was fined €300,000, while several former MEPs and party officials received suspended prison sentences, fines, and disqualifications from holding public office.
A decisive trial for Bayrou's political legacy
In the initial trial, the judges acknowledged the existence of misappropriations but ruled that no evidence demonstrated that François Bayrou had requested the creation of fictitious jobs or was aware of the non-performance of contracts. The court considered it likely that certain decisions had been made with his authorization, but did not find this hypothesis sufficiently established to warrant a conviction.
This appeal trial comes as François Bayrou has already withdrawn from the 2027 presidential election. Following his departure from Matignon (the Prime Minister's office ), the Bétharram affair, and the loss of the Pau mayoralty, his future as head of the MoDem party also appears precarious. Another acquittal could allow him to exert more influence in the search for a centrist candidate for 2027, while a conviction risks accelerating the battle for his succession.
