Overview
- François Bayrou was formally questioned by the Paris Court of Appeal on Thursday and denied any personal role in diverting parliamentary credits, using historical references and an emotional defence of the late Marielle de Sarnez.
- The appeal is re-examining a 2024 first-instance judgment that convicted MoDem and its predecessor the UDF as legal entities while acquitting Bayrou 'au bénéfice du doute', so the court must decide whether party-level guilt should stand on appeal.
- Prosecutors say the case concerns about €300,000 paid between 2005 and 2017 through roughly eleven assistant contracts that the state alleges were fictitious and meant to fund party work rather than European Parliament duties.
- Several co-defendants, including a former treasurer and ex-MEPs, have told judges there was no organised 'system' to falsify contracts and said party practices at the time did not feel illegal, while judges press for documentary proof of who signed and approved contracts.
- A final appellate ruling will determine legal liability for the parties and shape MoDem's reputation, and observers should watch for the court's assessment of the paper trail and who in the party carried responsibility for staffing decisions.