Two deputies from the National Assembly excluded temporarily for illicit use of their mandate costs – Liberation
It is the most severe sanction provided for by the regulations. Epingée for having inducedly used their mandate coststwo deputies, the rebellious Andy Kerbrat and ex-RN Christine Engrand, were temporarily excluded this Wednesday, May 7 from the National Assembly.
The deputies approved unanimously in the hemicycle, from RN to LFI, the sanction proposed by the office of the National Assembly, its highest executive instance. He had also decided unanimously to offer « The highest sanction » of the regulation: a partial deprivation of compensation with temporary exclusion, a rare sanction, but pronounced several times in recent years.
The facts committed, « Which relate to a seriously irregular use of their mandate costs, must not throw the stigma over the entire national representation »called from the perch the president of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, greeting the« Unanimity » voting. They are excluded for fifteen days of sessions (with prohibition to take part in the work) and will be deprived for two months of half of their parliamentary indemnity.
At the end of 2024, Mediapart published two investigations according to which the two elected officials had used their account for the advance of mandate costs, Andy Kerbrat, To finance its drug consumptionwhat he denies, and Christine Engrand, for various expenses, of which A subscription to a dating site or dog guarding.
This is the first time that such a sanction has been pronounced to « Backing to the code of ethics »according to Yaël Braun-Pivet. In October, Andy Kerbrat, had been checked by police in the Paris metro buying 3-MMC, a synthetic drug. In stride, Mediapart had published an investigation ensuring that he had used his account for the advance of mandate costs (AFM) to finance his consumption.
Andy Kerbrat, since on sick leave, had confided to struggle with a serious addiction, but denies having used this account for his consumption. “I have never used my mandate costs envelope to finance my addiction, never. I am sanctioned for mismanagement of the AFM ”he insisted on Wednesday on X, saying to accept this decision.
The rebellious deputies, in the office and then in the hemicycle, approved the sanction. « We have a consistency, it is public money and we must manage it correctly », said a source to the group. « We are surprised that the president (Yaël Braun-Pivet) automatically chosen to have the highest sanction voted ”underlines the group, which believes that a more modest sanction-a deprivation of compensation without temporary exclusion initially proposed by Vice-President Jeremiah Iordanoff (environmentalist)-was more suitable.
Andy Kerbrat reimbursed his own initiative 95 % of expenses. On the remaining share, the ethics specialist asked for additional information, the deputy having committed to proceeding any reimbursements. Christine Engrand (Pas-de-Calais), also pinned by Mediapartwas definitively excluded from the RN in March. According to the latest report of the ethics, she reimbursed the sums concerned.
In recent years, several elected officials have been the subject of temporary exclusion measures. The ex-deputy Grégoire de Fournas (RN) launched in 2022 « That he returns to Africa » During an intervention by the deputy LFI Carlos Martens Bilongo. Excluded for having created tumult in the hemicycle, the elected RN had then denied any racist character in his intervention.
In 2023, the LFI deputy Thomas Portes was excluded after a stormy session on pensions, during which he had refused to apologize to the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt, after posting a photo showing him surrounded by his tricolor scarf, his foot on a ball in the image of the minister. In 2024, the rebellious Sébastien Delogu was the subject of the same sanction after having brandished a Palestinian flag in the hemicycle.
