He will “continue to convince [sa] sincerity “. The Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, “contest” the idea of a « arrangement » with a water treatment distribution group when he was mayor of Annonay, he said on Saturday February 4 on France Inter. At the forefront of pension reform, he “has the full confidence of the Prime Minister”said Matignon in the process.
“There was no arrangement”: suspected of “favoritism”, Olivier Dussopt defends himself ➡️ https://t.co/LU2MztZSB2 https://t.co/hScNfRCKdc
— franceinter (@France Inter)
According to information the day before, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) found the offense of “favoritism” for a future trial against Olivier Dussopt which will relate to a public contract concluded at the end of the 2000s with the SAUR group.
“In May 2020, a press article thought it could question my relationship with a water group in the town of Annonay, of which I was the mayor”, et “the financial prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation and carried out numerous checks”said the minister on France Inter, continuing:
“At the end of this investigative work, the prosecution had grouped the facts into five points, and I note that the explanations given with my lawyer convinced the prosecution of my good faith since on four of these five points, the prosecution decided that there was reason to classify, retaining that there was no prosecution for corruption, taking of interest or enrichment. »
Nevertheless, “the prosecution considers that, in the context of a public procurement procedure in 2009 (…)there could be a favoritism offence”, said Olivier Dussopt again. And to conclude:
“It is an assertion, a thesis, that I dispute, and I have only one wish (…), is to continue to convince and explain how things happened to convince of my good faith. »
A gift from a “friend”
Olivier Dussopt had been Pinned May 2020 by Mediapart for having received as a gift, from SAUR, two lithographs by the painter Gérard Garouste when a contract was about to be concluded between the company and the town of Annonay.
The case, reported by the news site, dates back to January 2017, ten months before Olivier Dussopt entered government as Secretary of State for the Public Service. The works, estimated at the time at “just over 2,000 euros”had been offered to him through Franck Meneroux, one of the leaders of SAUR in Ardèche, reported Mediapart.
Olivier Dussopt had first invoked a gift from« ami » from Franck Meneroux, before acknowledging that it was“a corporate gift” offered during an interview with this manager and another SAUR executive. The one who was Secretary of State at the time explained that he had not declared these lithographs to the ethics officer of the National Assembly – as required for any gift of more than 150 euros – because he « I ignored[t] the value “ of the two tables. At the time of the publication of the affair, he had made it known, To avoid any controversy, [avoir] decided to return this gift as soon as possible”.
According to Mediapart, the search carried out at the Minister’s premises by financial investigators from the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Tax Offenses (OCLCIFF) revealed “Exchanges between Olivier Dussopt and (the Saur) seeming to leave little doubt about the existence of an arrangement around a public market dated 2009-2010”.
