SETBACK

French Prosecutor to Investigate Macron Alliance Partner

The French president perviously promised clean politics.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s alliance partner, the centrist Modem party, is facing allegations of misuse of public funds. The Paris prosecutor opened the investigation on Friday, ahead of the first round of the parliamentary election Sunday. Macron’s Republic on the Move party is still on track to win in a landslide victory, opinion polls show. In the past, Macron has promised clean politics, and two of Macron’s minister selections —Justice Minister Francois Bayrou and European Affairs Minister Marielle de Sarnez—are from Modem. This investigation began with a letter from a former Modem employee who said he was paid by parliamentary funds to do work for the Modem party in 2010-2011. Modem said in a statement it had “respected all the rules and all the obligations of an employer. ”