Founded in 2002, Anticor has been involved in many sensitive cases such as the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar, or the investigation into illegal taking of interests targeting the Secretary General of the Élysée Alexis Kohler, close to Emmanuel Macron. It had lost its accreditation in June 2023 following a decision by the administrative court, later confirmed on appeal. Various legal appeals have been pending since then.
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After more than a year of appeals before the administrative courts, the association fighting against corruption has regained its approval. The order signed by Gabriel Attal is one of his very last acts as Prime Minister, before the handover of power with Michel Barnier on Thursday, September 5. The order made public by Anticor states that the association ” meets the conditions (…) for approval of anti-corruption associations with a view to exercising the rights granted to the civil party “It is therefore approved” for a period of three years “.
Vincent Brengarth, Anticor’s lawyer, considered that this decision was ” A major victory for civil society. The fight overcame the political blockage “.
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End of the standoff with the Attal government
This is the end of a standoff with the outgoing government since after the suspension of its approval last June, the association had filed an appeal, but Matignon let it drag on, without reacting. An implicit refusal therefore and obstacles in the way of the NGO which did not allow it to continue its work essentially focused on political-financial corruption cases, several of which target people close to Emmanuel Macron. The latter had also strongly criticized the association on France 2 in an episode of the program Complément d’enquête devoted to Mr. Kohler. I can destroy anyone with a question of exemplarity. Because tomorrow I can do a procedure on you. Anticor, that’s all they do “, the head of state had estimated. ” And the procedures, they drag them out, they drag them out, they drag them out. And even if people, in the end, are not convicted, you screw them up. “.
Two appeals had therefore been initiated: one before the Council of State to contest the cancellation of its approval, the other before the administrative court last August for the government’s lack of response. The Paris administrative court had, by decision dated August 9, ” orders the Prime Minister to reconsider the application for approval ” of the anti-corruption association “within fifteen days”, which he had not done. Then, a final reminder, on Wednesday September 4, to the head of government to re-examine Anticor’s request ” within twenty-four hours “, under penalty of having to pay ” 1,000 euros per day of delay at the end of this period “A financial penalty which therefore made it possible to close the file with the government.
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