Fabien Roussel publishes documents to respond to “erroneous accusations” of fictitious employment of “Mediapart”, which puts a new recording online – Le Monde

Five days after publication, by Mediapartof an article questioning the materiality of Fabien Roussel’s work as a parliamentary assistant between 2009 and 2014, the candidate of the French Communist Party (PCF) is continuing his efforts to try to limit the effects on his electoral campaign .

After several media interventions to categorically deny having held a fictitious job with the deputy for the North Jean-Jacques Candelier, Mr. Roussel published, on Friday February 25, a series of testimonies and documents to support his version of a “commitment to the field (…) total, determinant”. “There is nothing ‘ghostly’ in this period of my life”writes the deputy in a text published on his campaign website and entitled ” “Transparency about my work” “.

Testimonials from former employees

“If I absolutely do not have to provide any evidence to journalists, I want to be transparent, because I am deeply indignant, touched and affected by these accusations which call into question my work, all my years of struggle and my integrity”, writes Mr. Roussel. Two short testimonies of collaborators of Mr. Candelier at this time as well as that of Dominique Ben, trade unionist of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT). The latter claims to have worked “on many files” with Mr. Roussel at the time.

A working file in which the names of the two men appear is also attached to the testimonies, compiling in particular documents on the exploitation of mine gas or the privatization in the mining sector of Pas-de-Calais. Several excerpts from Mr. Candelier’s gazette are also shown, with Mr. Roussel appearing in certain images of the MP’s travels.

In response to Mr. Roussel’s explanations, Mediapart uploaded, Friday morning, a new article containing the recording of a telephone conversation dating, according to an anonymous source from journalists Pascale Pascariello and Antton Rouget, from 2018. Mr. Candelier declares there, about his collaboration with Mr. Roussel:

“To be honest, it wasn’t too clear cut. That’s why we did well to stop (…). It has always happened. That’s why, when I arrived, I was told: “1, 1, 1 (…), 1 for the federation [la fédération du Nord]1 for central [le Parti communiste] and 1 for you [le député]”. »

For Mediapartthis exchange constitutes an additional element supporting that a “precise cutting” governed the distribution of Mr. Candelier’s parliamentary envelope – and that Mr. Roussel’s activity was not centered on the action of parliamentarians.

Asked by Le Figaroon Friday, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) declared that it did not envisage “no communications” and did not open an investigation following the revelations of Mediapart.