POLITICS – The end of a standoff. After months of conflict with the government, the Anticor association regained its approval on Thursday, September 5, granted by Gabriel Attal just before his departure from Matignon. This is “a victory for the fight against corruption”, the organization welcomed.
Anticor, an anti-corruption association, obtains a new review of its application for approval
The order signed by Gabriel Attal is one of his very last acts as Prime Minister, before the handover of power with Michel Barnier on Thursday at the end of the day. The courts had asked the head of government on Wednesday to re-examine Anticor’s request. “within twenty-four hours”under penalty of having to pay “1,000 euros per day of delay after this deadline”.
The Paris administrative court had already, by decision dated August 9, “orders the Prime Minister to reconsider the request for approval” from the anti-corruption association “within fifteen days”which he had not done. The association had therefore asked the court to “move to the next level” by imposing on the government “a constraint” financial.
Anticor approved for three years
According to the decree signed Thursday by Gabriel Attal, and made public by Anticor, the latter “fulfils the conditions (…) for approval of anti-corruption associations with a view to exercising the rights granted to the civil party”The association is therefore approved. “for a period of three years”is mentioned in the decree.
“This decision rewards the fierce fight we have been waging before the administrative courts for so many months. It is a major victory for civil society. The fight has overcome the political blockage.”rejoiced Anticor’s lawyer, Me Vincent Brengarth.
Anticor, founded in 2002 “to fight corruption and restore ethics in politics”had lost its approval in June 2023 following a decision by the administrative court, subsequently confirmed on appeal.
Since 2015, the approval has allowed it to intervene in legal proceedings, including sensitive cases, in particular by constituting itself as a civil party in the event of inaction by the public prosecutor. Matignon had then explained to AFP that it was waiting for the decision of the Council of State before making a decision.
Emmanuel Macron criticizes the association
Anticor is involved in more than 160 procedures including the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar, the investigation into illegal taking of interests targeting the Secretary General of the Élysée Alexis Kohler, close to Emmanuel Macron, and the sale of Alstom’s energy branch to General Electric.
In 2023, Emmanuel Macron criticized the association on France 2 in an episode of the program Complément d’enquête devoted to Alexis Kohler. “I can destroy anyone with a question of exemplarity. Because tomorrow I can do a procedure on you. Anticor, they only do that”the head of state had estimated.
Anticor, which claims 7,000 members, had filed a new application in June 2023, to which the government had not responded, an implicit decision of refusal.
Then in January, it filed a new application for approval, to which the executive also did not respond within the time limit, which again amounted to an implicit refusal. Anticor therefore re-applied the administrative court at the beginning of August to obtain the cancellation of this implicit refusal.
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