Former minister Aurore Bergé, accused in an investigative book by Victor Castanet of having concluded a pact with the crèche lobby, announced this Tuesday, October 1 on Franceinfo that she had filed a complaint for defamation.
Former minister Aurore Bergé, accused in an investigative book of having concluded a pact with the crèche lobby, denies it again and claims to have “filed a complaint” for defamation.
“A complaint was filed by my lawyer for defamation yesterday,” declared the Ensemble pour la République MP on Franceinfo this Tuesday, October 1.
“I will not accept that my name can be smeared and even less on defamatory accusations,” continued Aurore Bergé.
A “non-aggression pact” recounted in the book
In his investigation entitled The Ogres, Victor Castanet describes the “voracity” of certain groups, in particular People and Baby who, among other things, allegedly falsified the number of hours babies were present to receive money from the family allowance fund.
He also mentions a “non-aggression pact” which, according to him, was concluded between the former Minister of Families Aurore Bergé (July 2023-January 2024) and the general delegate of the French Federation of Daycare Companies (FFEC) Elsa Hervy .
Private daycare centers in turmoil: what are they accused of?
According to the journalist, after the release of two books in November 2023 which denounce bad practices within private crèches, Elsa Hervy and Aurore Bergé “worked hand in hand” to “define how they were going to manage the media sequence”.
“It was an exchange of good practices,” summarized Victor Castanet on BFMTV on September 19. Aurore Bergé would have asked Elsa Hervy that the members of the federation not criticize the government. In exchange, the minister would have shown “leniency” and would have “listened to the messages” of the group.
Elsa Hervy also denies
Elsa Hervy also denied in Ouest-France any “pact” with Aurore Bergé: “we happened to discuss directly, as the minister did with other actors, but I did not make any pact. will never exist.”
“I am the first to want our children to be well, to be safe,” Aurore Bergé also assured Franceinfo on Tuesday, denouncing exchanges of “redacted, modified” messages published in Victor Castanet’s book.
He maintained his assertions after the first denial from Aurore Bergé. “A number of witnesses [m’ont apporté] Whatsapp messages, Telegram messages, I have recordings, I have emails… Everything reported in this book is verified by lawyers. All this takes a lot of time to be sure that we cannot be found guilty,” he said on BFMTV on September 19.
A procedure for “perjury” requested by Environmentalists
On the basis of Victor Castanet’s book, the deputies of the Ecologist and Social group requested in September the launch in the National Assembly of a procedure for “perjury” against Aurore Bergé, whom they suspect of having passed over in silence relations with lobbies before a commission of inquiry into the economic model of crèches.
“Several elements (from the book) tend to demonstrate that contrary to what Ms. Bergé had affirmed under oath during her hearing, she would have maintained close exchanges with the lobby of private for-profit nurseries,” they declared in a press release. .
