The president of the Republicans Éric Ciotti and his ex-wife Caroline Magne were heard in free hearing in December in the investigation into the holding of jobs of the latter, indicated on Monday the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF), confirming information from RTL. Eric Ciotti was heard on December 13 and Caroline Magne on December 20, according to this source. Another source confirmed these hearings. They could not immediately be reached to comment on this information.
The PNF had opened in November, in the middle of the campaign for the presidency of LR, a preliminary investigation for embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust and concealment of these offenses after the publication of articles according to which the ex-wife of Éric Ciotti would have accumulated several jobs in the Assembly, in Nice and in the department, for nearly ten years.
According to Le Canard enchaîné, she would have accumulated various jobs with the deputy or political allies: press attaché to Christian Estrosi, in 2007 she became parliamentary attaché to Éric Ciotti when he was elected to the Assembly, in addition a job at the Alpes-Maritimes Departmental Council where she "expanded her skills" when her husband took over as president in 2008.
The article also revealed that she had become deputy director of the mayor of Nice before joining the steering team of the urban community, exercising these responsibilities until 2011. In the Assembly, her contract ended in 2016 but she also, between 2014 and 2016, exercised responsibilities in the town of La Colle-sur-Loup, and had a job in the diocese of Nice between 2012 and 2014, according to Le Canard enchaîné.
The diocese had denied in November, assuring AFP that Caroline Magne had "occupied a job in a Catholic education establishment in the Alpes-Maritimes". After the publication of this article, Éric Ciotti explained that he had employed Caroline Magne as a "very part-time" parliamentary assistant and "in strict compliance with laws and regulations".
