The Élysée Palace denied prosecutors' request for a search warrant in a corruption case

The French presidential administration has blocked access to investigators from the National Financial Prosecutor's Office who intended to conduct searches as part of an investigation into irregularities surrounding the organization of the reburial ceremonies at the Panthéon. 

This was reported by the BFMTV television channel. 

Prosecutor General Pascal Prash noted that the refusal is based on Article 67 of the French Constitution, which guarantees the inviolability of premises associated with the presidency. The judicial investigation, opened in October 2025, concerns alleged favoritism, corruption, and the illegal receipt of benefits in the awarding of government contracts. 

At the center of the scandal is the event company Shortcut Events, which for decades received prestigious contracts to organize large-scale government events worth up to 2 million euros each. The investigation is examining possible preferential treatment for the firm by the Ministry of Culture and the National Monuments Center. Experts note that constitutional immunity could pose a significant obstacle to financial investigations at the highest levels of government. So far, Shortcut Events and the involved government agencies have not commented on the investigators’ visit.

Earlier, law enforcement officials conducted searches at the headquarters of Edmond de Rothschild Bank in Paris as part of a criminal corruption investigation involving Fabrice Hédin, the chief of staff at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This investigation is linked to Edan’s involvement in cases related to American financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The appeal hearing in the case of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy regarding the financing of his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya has begun in Paris.