All the affarucci of Macron’s right arm with Msc di Aponte
Macron's chief of staff is under investigation for a conflict of interest relating to ties with MSC, the Aponte family's shipping company. All the details
The chief of staff of French President Emmanuel Macron, Alexis Kohler, is being investigated by the prosecutor for financial crimes for a conflict of interest linked to his alleged ties with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the shipping company founded by Gianluigi Aponte .
In a statement, the French prosecutor for financial crimes states that "Alexis Kohler, currently secretary general of the French presidency, has been put under formal investigation for illicit taking of interests".
WHAT (NOT) MACRON WILL DO
Kohler is the councilor closest to Macron and who has the most influence on him. According to the French newspaper Le Figaro , it seems that the president has decided not to remove him from his post, despite the investigation.
WHAT THE FRENCH LAW PROVIDES FOR
According to French law, if a person is under investigation it does not mean that he is under accusation, but only that there is evidence that suggests that he is involved in an illegal activity. The person can be charged at a later time if further evidence against him or her emerges, or he can be removed from the investigation if it is closed.
KOHLER'S LAWYER'S STATEMENT
Kohler's attorney, Eric Dezeuze, told Reuters that the man “strongly denies having committed a crime. The subsequent procedure, to which he now has access, will allow him to prove his innocence ”.
Macron's office said Kohler has never hidden his personal ties to the Aponte family, who founded MSC and remains the owner.
HOW THE SURVEY IS BORN
The investigation against Kohler was born from the complaint filed by the anti-corruption group Anticor against the man for violating the laws on conflict of interest. In 2016 he left his post as Macron's chief of staff (then Minister of Economy, who resigned to focus on his party, En marche!) To work at MSC as CFO. In May 2017, when Macron won the presidential election, he was appointed general secretary of the Elysée.
THE LINKS BETWEEN MSC AND CHANTIERS DE L'ATLANTIQUE
MSC is one of the main customers of the shipbuilding company Chantiers de l'Atlantique, which the French government has restructured several times – even changing its name: Alstom Marine, STX France, and then resuming the old Chantiers de l'Atlantique – in the last twenty years.
ALL (PREVIOUS) CONTACTS BETWEEN KOHLER AND MSC
Anticor's complaint claims that Kohler had contact with MSC as early as 2012-2014, when he worked for APE, the French agency for state holdings, and then in 2014-2016, when he was on Macron's staff.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/alexis-kohler-msc-aponte/ on Tue, 04 Oct 2022 10:55:37 +0000.