Deputy Sophia Chikirou, La France insoumise candidate for Paris mayor, will stand trial on May 12 for alleged fraud from 2018 harming the news site Le Média. She condemns the decision as politically motivated to sabotage her campaign. The case involves an attempt to deceive a bank for over 67,000 euros.
Sophia Chikirou, a prominent figure in La France insoumise (LFI) and candidate for Paris mayor since November, faces another judicial setback. On May 12, she will appear before the 13th correctional chamber of the Paris judicial court for alleged fraud against the production company Le Média, according to a judicial source reported by AFP on January 4.
The incidents date back to July 2018. Chikirou is accused of repeatedly attempting to deceive Crédit du Nord bank by posing as president of Le Média, a position she no longer held. She allegedly requested transfers that failed due to insufficient funds in the account, aiming to secure over 67,000 euros. Additionally, she is suspected of fraudulently withdrawing two check forms. The preliminary investigation was conducted by the financial section of the National Jurisdiction for Combating Organized Crime (Junalco), which noted the start of execution of the offense.
“The Paris prosecutor's office decides to put me on trial in the middle of the municipal campaign over a 2018 matter that is just a commercial dispute between two companies. Since then, the two companies have agreed on a settlement and stopped all proceedings. So this is a trial decided by the public ministry for a case with no complainant or harm! The matter is eminently political and aims only to tarnish and hinder my campaign,” Chikirou reacted to AFP.
Chikirou, who handled communications for Jean-Luc Mélenchon's presidential campaigns in 2012 and 2017, disputes these charges. She has also been under formal investigation since September 2024 for aggravated fraud related to Mélenchon's 2017 campaign accounts, which she denies. This judicial timeline, two months after the municipal elections, raises questions about its potential impact on her candidacy.
The lack of a complainant and the amicable resolution of the dispute in 2018 contrast with the prosecution's pursuit, fueling the deputy's suspicions of political motivation.
