The French Prime Minister, François Bayrou, strongly refuted any involvement in concealing years of alleged misconduct at a Catholic school located in southwest France. He stated before a parliamentary committee that he was never made aware of any improper activities.
The commission is looking into whether Bayrou, who was France’s education minister from 1993 to 1997 and has held several local positions in the region, had previous awareness of extensive allegations of misconduct.
Over 200 grievances have been submitted since February 2024 concerning purported acts of violence and sexual assault perpetrated by clergy members and school employees from the 1970s through the 1990s.
Swearing under oath, Bayrou denied the accusations and stated that he had never been informed about the misconduct. He also charged his adversaries with exploiting the situation for their own political advantage.
He insisted that he became aware of the wider allegations of misconduct solely through media reports and did not have access to internal knowledge on the matter.
Bayrou went on to criticize the parliamentary committee for being biased and cast doubt on the account of ex-teacher Françoise Gullung, who asserts she alerted him and his spouse in 1994 and 1995, labeling her comments as "misleading."
Nevertheless, numerous witnesses, such as ex-judge Christian Mirande, who presided over a 1998 case against Father Carricart—the school’s previous head accused of rape—have refuted his claims.
Mirande informed the commission that Bayrou met with him during the inquiry and showed worry about his son, who was studying at the institution. Bayrou first refuted the encounter but subsequently characterized it as "coincidental."
Carricart received initial charges in 1998 but took his own life prior to going to trial.
In April, Bayrou’s firstborn daughter, Hélène Perlant, revealed She was assaulted by a priest at the school during a summer camp when she was 14 years old.
She mentioned that her father was unaware of the incident. Nonetheless, critics have charged Bayrou with deceiving Parliament, which constitutes a grave offense according to French legislation.
The Bétharram scandal has severely damaged Bayrou's reputation. Despite surviving multiple no-confidence votes in a fragmented legislature, his popularity has been consistently declining over the past few weeks.
According to a recent YouGal survey, approximately seven out of every ten French citizens think that the Prime Minister ought to step down if evidence emerges showing he was aware of the situation at hand.
The parliamentary investigation is anticipated to present its findings by the end of June.
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