France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office is looking into the role played by the US McKinsey consultancy firm in the 2017 and 2022 presidential campaigns. The judiciary must act with complete independence, the French president's office responded.

The noose is tightening around Emmanuel Macron’s neck, after the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) ordered two investigations at the end of October into the financial background of the French president’s 2017 and 2022 election campaigns.

As our news agency previously reported, the French president was accused of misusing public money this past spring. The French head of state is suspected of showering more than one billion euros of public money on the American McKinsey consultancy firm. The company assisted in Macron’s 2017 presidential campaign free of charge, but after taking office, Macron made sure that the company received lucrative deals in return. The case report prepared by the Senate has revealed that McKinsey has also infiltrated the French political arena, with the employees of the US firm regularly attending ministry meetings and writing reports, anonymously, of course.

A preliminary investigation targeting the McKinsey Group was opened on 31 March 2022 for the serious crime of money laundering and tax evasion, a press release issued by the PNF reveals. On 20 October 2022, a judicial investigation was also initiated into the irregular management of campaign accounts and the reduction of accounting data, in particular the role played by the US consultancy firm in the 2017 and 2022 French presidential election campaigns, following complaints by several MPs, associations, trade unions and individuals. The third point of the statement highlights that on 21 October 2022, the Financial Prosecutor’s Office opened another investigation in addition to the previous one, on suspicion of favouritism and its concealment during the Macron campaign.

Le parquet national financier publie un communiqué de presse sur des procédures pénales ouvertes suite á la publication du rapport du Sénat sur le recours aux cabinets de conseils. https://t.co/c2PNjh54LB pic.twitter.com/JffRfYGpFK

— Parquet national financier (PNF) (@pr_financier) November 24, 2022

At this stage of the investigation, it is certain that Emmanuel Macron and McKinsey are linked, and that consultants from the US firm were involved in Macron’s 2017 election campaign. Some McKinsey employees were also members of Macron’s Republic in Motion party, Le Parisien reported.

The Senate Investigative Committee has also issued a statement on the case, saying that everything should be investigated, as the case is of great importance for democracy.

Affaire McKinsey : « Toute la lumière doit être faite », demandent les sénateurs de la commission d’enquêtehttps://t.co/hBF8HbS0MI

— Public Sénat (@publicsenat) November 24, 2022

The French president’s office has also commented on the events, stating that the courts have a duty to investigate in complete independence. The French president enjoys immunity for the full duration of his term, which means that he cannot be questioned by judges or investigators in connection with the case.