French Lawmaker Under Scrutiny for Alleged Misuse of Parliamentary Funds

After LREM MP from Hérault Coralie Dubost, it is now the turn of her colleague Patricia Mirallès to be challenged by Médiapart in the use of her mandate expenses. The elected official is notably flagged for a trip to Morocco "to set up exchanges in the field of agriculture" or a jacket that her assistant went to buy her in Paris. "That evening I had a representation. It was cold, I had gotten wet, I didn’t have a jacket. My parliamentary assistant told me I couldn’t go like that. I found a jacket for less than 30 € at Zara, it’s true, he went to buy it but it was during his working time," explains Patricia Mirallès to Midi Libre.

Médiapart also pointed to the moving expenses of the elected official’s son to Limoges. In total, 219.35 € in hotel. "The hotel room reservation was indeed made with my National Assembly email address, but I paid the bill with my personal card as you can see on my personal bank statement," she says, brandishing a copy of her banking documents dated September 2019. The computer bill of 1,198.80 € for her daughter? "It was my professional hard drive that contained data I didn’t want to lose... My daughter just helped me find a repairman, because we didn’t have one in Montpellier."

What about the two nights in a hotel in Provence with her spouse, 352 €, also paid? Patricia Mirallès explains: "It was a trip in the context of my duties, for the 75th anniversary of the Provence landings, where we were expected by the President of the Republic. My fellow MP from the constituency had booked this hotel for several MPs. Yes, I slept with my husband that night, but whether you book for one or two people, the rate is the same (she shows the hotel booking system, editor’s note). The tourist tax, less than 1 € per person and per night, was paid in cash."