French presidential candidate Édouard Philippe designated 'assisted witness' in embezzlement case
Through his lawyer, Philippe welcomed the decision to have been given assisted witness status, which is less serious than being formally investigated. "This confirms that there is nothing to reproach him for in this case," his lawyer told the AFP news agency.
Published on 30 October 2026 - 10:54 GMT+1
Former French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe has been placed under the status of assisted witness in an investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds at the Le Havre metropolitan authority.
Philippe, a 2027 presidential candidate for the Horizons party and mayor of Le Havre, appeared before two investigating financial judges on Thursday to answer questions relating to the case.
Following the hearings, Philippe released a statement through his lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, welcoming the decision to have been given assisted witness status, which is less serious than being formally investigated.
"This confirms that there is nothing to reproach him for in this case," his lawyer told the AFP news agency.
The case dates back to 2020 following allegations raised by Cornelia Findeisen, a former deputy director general of the Le Havre metropolitan authority.
She subsequently filed two complaints, one in 2023 that led to the opening of a preliminary investigation and searches carried out by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office.
A second complaint, filed two years later, included a request to join the proceedings as a civil party and resulted in the case being referred to financial investigating judges in Paris.
Philippe became president of the Le Havre Seine Métropole authority in July 2020. He later signed a multi-year agreement with Stéphanie de Bazelaire, voluntary president of the LH French Tech association, for running the Cité Numérique innovation hub in Le Havre.
LH French Tech was the only organisation to respond to calls from the authority for expressions of interest. The association was to receive €2.154 million in public funding to carry out various projects.
Investigators are now working to establish whether Philippe and de Bazelaire struck a deal involving "political, financial and networking support in return for the management of the Cité Numérique."
Findeisen said she was sidelined and subjected to harassment after exposing the alleged arrangement. In January last year, she was granted whistleblower status.
Philippe's questioning "shows that my alert deserved to be examined," she has said.
Assisted witness status
The Picovschi law firm says that an assisted witness is an individual "involved in a criminal case whose situation sits between that of a witness and that of a person under formal investigation."
This status can change as a case progresses and as new evidence emerges.
"A person is granted the status of 'assisted witness' when the investigating judge’s case file contains evidence suggesting alleged guilt in relation to an offence," the firm says on its website.
"The assisted witness is implicated in a judicial investigation; however, they are not directly charged with the offence in question."
