السلطات الفرنسية تفتح تحقيقات في حالات انتحار بين موظفي رئاسة الحكومة

The French authorities have opened a preliminary judicial investigation, alongside three internal investigations, following the suicides of two employees working in the French Prime Minister's office last March, and suicide attempts by other employees in recent months, incidents that have shocked the French government headquarters (Matignon) and prompted scrutiny of the working conditions and environment within one of the state's most sensitive agencies.

Radio "France Inter" revealed that the employees who took their lives were working at the government headquarters, while two other suicide attempts were recorded, in what it described as a "context in which suffering related to the work environment was observed."

The Paris public prosecutor's office has assigned the preliminary investigation to the Brigade for the Prevention of Crimes Against Persons (BRDP), with the aim of gathering information and verifying whether the incidents warrant legal action, while the government administration continues its internal investigations to assess working conditions and uncover any professional factors that may have contributed to these incidents.

Report to the Public Prosecutor in Paris

According to French media, a representative of the Prime Minister's office employees submitted a report to the public prosecutor in Paris, which included allegations of moral harassment and endangering the lives of others, based on incidents involving an employee who attempted suicide, as confirmed by her lawyer, in addition to the suicides that occurred last March.

The Victims Outside the Prime Minister's Immediate Circle

The newspaper "Le Parisien" clarified that the employees who committed suicide or attempted to do so were not working within the Prime Minister's immediate team. While his office includes about 60 advisors, more than 3,450 employees work in various departments of the government headquarters within "Hôtel de Matignon," which includes independent entities, such as the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security (SGDSN) and the Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (DILA).

Activation of a Legal Provision Due to Deteriorating Work Environment

The Prime Minister's office is one of the administrative bodies that plays a crucial role in formulating government policy and supporting the Prime Minister. However, media reports have indicated that the work atmosphere has deteriorated significantly in recent months, leading to the activation on June 25 of Article 40 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure, which obliges any public employee who becomes aware of a crime or offense to report it to the public prosecutor immediately. Judicial and administrative investigations are still ongoing to uncover the circumstances of the case and determine potential responsibilities.