Paris prosecutor opens inquiry into workplace bullying after two suicides and two attempts in French PM's services
A preliminary inquiry has been opened after a civil servant attempted suicide, amid allegations of institutional bullying in departments under the French prime minister.
What happened
Two employees of the French prime minister's services died by suicide in March 2026, and two others attempted suicide in the preceding months, according to France Inter and multiple French media. One of the attempts occurred in October 2025 at the workplace; the other, in April 2026, involved a civil servant identified by the pseudonym Laura, who was stopped by a passerby as she prepared to throw herself under a train at a station. A separate suspicious death, a person found dead in a toilet, was also noted in a staff representative's report. The cases all involve personnel working within the sprawling network of about 50 autonomous entities that fall under the services of the prime minister (Matignon), which employs over 3,450 people, not the prime minister's immediate cabinet of 60 advisers.
The complaint and investigations
On 25 June 2026, a staff representative filed a formal report with the Paris prosecutor under Article 40 of the French code of criminal procedure, which obliges any official aware of an offence to inform the prosecutor. The report cited "presumed institutional moral harassment" and described a pattern of suffering at work. The same day, Laura lodged a complaint for "moral harassment". The Paris prosecutor opened a preliminary inquiry and assigned it to the brigade for the repression of offences against persons. Three internal administrative inquiries have also been launched into specific cases and broader workplace wellbeing. The judicial investigation is examining allegations against four senior figures in the prime minister's correspondence service (SCPM): the head of the department, the interim head, a deputy, and another high-ranking official.
Allegations of institutional bullying
The staff representative's report, seen by France Inter and AFP, details a progressive withdrawal of responsibilities from Laura, public humiliations, derogatory comments, and increasing isolation, she was eventually moved to a basement office. Her lawyer, Christelle Mazza, told France Inter that her client had been "made invisible," excluded from meetings, removed from the staff list, and subjected to mockery and jeering.
My client had been made [to feel] invisible. She was no longer invited to attend meetings, had been taken off the staff list, treated as if she was no one. She was mocked and jeered at as if it was playground bullying, [she was] ostracised.
Mazza added that Laura had used all available internal reporting mechanisms for psychological harassment but received no response. She described a "radical management" style that promoted competition among agents, and said the instability of Matignon, four prime ministers in two years following the dissolution of the National Assembly in June 2024, had compounded the difficulties. The four premiers were Gabriel Attal (caretaker), Michel Barnier, François Bayrou, and the incumbent Sébastien Lecornu. No wrongdoing has been alleged against any of the prime ministers themselves.
When the situation worsened, she of course used all internal mechanisms, including the department for reporting cases of psychological harassment. There was no reaction. As soon as signals of this kind appear, they must be listened to, because in this case it is a very serious matter.
Response from Matignon
Two senior officials from the department of services of the prime minister issued a statement expressing full respect and support for colleagues and families affected by the suicides and attempted suicides. They said psychological welfare was "a constant priority" for the prime minister's services and that a specialist audit was underway. The Direction des services administratifs et financiers (DSAF), which manages the entities, has deployed a psychosocial risk monitoring system called vigisouffrances. Matignon did not immediately respond to press inquiries, according to SudOuest.
Timeline of events
- A staff member attempts suicide at the workplace.
- One employee dies by suicide.
- A colleague from the General Secretariat of the Government throws himself under a train.
- Laura, a civil servant in the correspondence service, attempts suicide at a train station and is hospitalized.
- Staff representative files report under Article 40; Laura files complaint for moral harassment; Paris prosecutor opens preliminary inquiry.
The sequence of tragedies and the subsequent legal steps underscore a workplace crisis that has shaken one of France's most prestigious state institutions.
