Suspicions of interference: lobbyist Jean-Pierre Duthion and MP Julien-Laferrière raided.

PARIS — Le député écologiste Hubert Julien-Laferrière et le lobbyiste Jean-Pierre Duthion ont été perquisitionnés ce mercredi dans le cadre d’une enquête du parquet national financier ouverte après des soupçons d’ingérence étrangère dans la vie politique et médiatique en France, a appris POLITICO de source proche du dossier.

Yesterday, Jean-Pierre Duthion’s home in Normandy was searched by the Economic Crime Repression Brigade (BRDE).

Hubert Julien-Laferrière, whose search was first reported by Le Monde, had promoted in February 2022 at the National Assembly a cryptocurrency launched by a Cameroonian businessman accused of fraud. According to the newspaper, this statement would be linked to his working relationship with lobbyist Jean-Pierre Duthion, also mentioned in the interference case at BFM TV that POLITICO had revealed last January.

After these revelations, the national financial prosecutor’s office (PNF) took up a complaint filed by the Altice group for “acts of active and passive corruption of persons not holding public office and abuse of trust”. Another investigation, related to the relationship between Jean-Pierre Duthion and Hubert Julien-Laferrière, had also been opened, but the two procedures have now been merged into one, according to information from Le Monde confirmed by the same source.

Attempts to contact Hubert Julien-Laferrière and the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office for a comment were unsuccessful. Jean-Pierre Duthion and his lawyer declined to comment when reached for contact.

Paul de Villepin has contributed to this article.