Lucie Castets makes a “clarification”. The candidate of the New Popular Front for the post of Prime Minister reacted this Wednesday, September 4, to an article in Marianne, in which the magazine claims that her team sent a quote to the NFP parties to cover its operating costs.
According to Marianne, Lucie Castets’ right-hand man, the referendary advisor at the Court of Auditors Arnaud Bontemps, asked the left-wing parties at the end of July for a monthly envelope of 51,000 euros to cover the remuneration of three collaborators, offices in Paris and travel expenses. This envelope did not include remuneration for Lucie Castets.
“Since my appointment on July 23, neither I nor anyone in my team have received a single euro from the New Popular Front,” the senior civil servant assured on X (ex-Twitter) this Wednesday.
An estimate “never implemented”
Lucie Castets, who was then Director of Finance and Purchasing at Paris City Hall, had taken paid leave to campaign with the NFP after her nomination as candidate at the end of July.
At the end of August, she announced on RMC-BFMTV that she was “ending her duties” at Paris City Hall, in order to continue to embody the alliance of left-wing parties. She specified that she “will not resign from public office” but that she “considers taking leave”.
If “a budget estimate had been proposed in July by the NFP, it was never implemented”, assured Lucie Castets on X. “The hundreds of hours of preparation, meetings and travel were carried out on a voluntary basis.” According to Marianne, the requests of Lucie Castets’ team had been validated by the treasurers of the left-wing parties, before falling into oblivion.
“I would like to warmly thank all those who accompany me on a daily basis, for their support and the incredible energy deployed. Nothing can be done without them,” she declared on Wednesday.
At the end of August, Emmanuel Macron formally refused, in the name of “institutional stability”, to appoint a left-wing government led by Lucie Castets, who would, according to him, be “immediately censored” in the National Assembly.
Emmanuel Macron’s allied movements, as well as the right and the far right, had announced that they would censor a government formed around the NFP programThe left-wing alliance continues to demand the appointment of Lucie Castets, while the head of state has still not designated a Prime Minister.
- BFMTV.com
