Former minister Caroline Cayeux sentenced to eight months' suspended imprisonment for tax fraud

Caroline Cayeux, who briefly served as Minister Delegate for Local Authorities between May and December 2022, has been sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, suspended, by the Paris public prosecutor's office. This sentence stems from two separate offenses: tax fraud and false statements on her asset declaration. The former minister, who also served as mayor of Beauvais for twenty-three years, left Élisabeth Borne's government after only seven months in office.

Double conviction for the former mayor of Beauvais

The charges relate to serious breaches of her disclosure obligations. Caroline Cayeux concealed part of her assets from the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life, while also committing tax fraud on her income. These two cases led the prosecution to request a custodial sentence, symbolic but significant for someone who has held ministerial positions.

This conviction comes amid increased scrutiny of elected officials and government members. The High Authority for Transparency in Public Life has been ramping up its audits for several years, with increasingly frequent sanctions for inaccurate or incomplete declarations. Caroline Cayeux, a prominent figure on the right in the Oise region, has thus seen her political career permanently damaged by this legal case.