French prosecutors seek suspended prison term for François Bayrou in MoDem appeal

Prosecution arguments in Paris

On 28 September 2026, prosecutors at the Paris Court of Appeal concluded a five-hour closing argument by requesting a two-year suspended prison sentence, a €50,000 fine, and three years of suspended ineligibility against François Bayrou. The prosecution stated that leadership figures of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) and its predecessor, the Union for French Democracy (UDF), orchestrated systemic diversions of European Parliament funds between 2005 and 2017. Advocate General Monica D'onofrio acknowledged that investigators found no explicit written orders signed by Bayrou directing the fraudulent hiring of parliamentary assistants. She argued that the absence of written documents did not exempt the party leader from legal accountability given the authority of his office.

Who is responsible for this criminal offence? The person in charge. You cannot fail to be when you occupy such important positions.

Scope of the alleged embezzlement

The prosecution described a decade-long arrangement where assistants paid by the European Parliament performed operational work for the domestic centrist party rather than parliamentary duties. Investigators identified 11 fraudulent contracts out of more than 100 examined over the 2005–2017 period, pointing to a total confusion between party finances and European funds. The prosecution rejected the defense argument that assistants operated as an integrated parliamentary task force promoting European policy from the party headquarters in Paris. In addition to individual penalties, prosecutors sought fines of €100,000 each against MoDem and the UDF as corporate legal entities.

Did this creature, an embryonic task force, really exist except when it is summoned when questions hurt?

Requisitions for party officials

Prosecutors also sought convictions for several former party executives and lawmakers involved in managing contracts and financial flows. For former treasurer and paying agent Michel Mercier, who received EU funds and distributed payments to assistants, the prosecution requested a 20-month suspended sentence, a €20,000 fine, and one year of suspended ineligibility. For his successor Jean-Jacques Jégou, prosecutors demanded a 12-month suspended term, a €15,000 fine, and one year of suspended ineligibility. Party accountant Alexandre Nardella faces a requested 18-month suspended prison term and a €10,000 fine, while former Members of the European Parliament face requested suspended terms ranging from six to 15 months.

First-instance ruling and defense

The appeal hearing revisits a first-instance judgment delivered two years earlier by the Paris criminal court, which acquitted Bayrou while convicting the political parties and several associates. In that initial ruling, judges established that funds had been embezzled but found no evidence showing that Bayrou gave direct instructions to MEPs to create fictitious assistant contracts. The prosecution appealed that acquittal to establish executive liability for party operations. During his questioning before the appellate court on 24 September 2026, Bayrou reiterated that no wrongdoing occurred and maintained that all party activities respected financial regulations.