Financial prosecutors search Élysée Palace in Pantheon-ceremony contracts probe, first such search since 2018 Benalla affair

France's Parquet National Financier confirmed on Friday that investigators had searched the Élysée Palace the day before as part of a judicial inquiry into the awarding of public contracts for Pantheon induction ceremonies, the financial prosecutor's office said in a statement carried by Agence France-Presse and Radio France. "Search operations took place on May 21 on the premises of the Élysée Palace, as part of the judicial inquiry focusing notably on the conditions under which certain public contracts relating to the organization of Pantheon ceremonies were awarded," the statement read, adding that the operation was "preceded by institutional consultations to ensure they could proceed."

The investigation, opened in October 2025 by financial prosecutor Pascal Prache, examines suspected favouritism, corruption, and influence peddling in the repeated selection of the events company Shortcut Events to organise the Pantheon induction ceremonies — the high republican rites at which the remains of figures such as the Resistance fighter Missak Manouchian (the firm's last engagement, in 2024) and Josephine Baker (the first Black woman honoured at the mausoleum, in 2021) were transferred to France's national pantheon. Le Canard Enchaîné reported that Shortcut Events had been chosen by the Centre des monuments nationaux for more than two decades until 2024 to organise the ceremonies, estimating the cost of each at around €2 million.

Investigators had attempted to enter the Élysée in April but were turned away on grounds of the constitutional "inviolability" of premises attached to the presidency — a reference to Article 67 of the Constitution, which bars any judicial proceeding, prosecution, or inquiry against the head of state during the term. The April refusal was formally announced by Prache. The Friday operation was made possible after the presidency consulted with the investigators and judged the safeguards adequate, an Élysée representative told AFP and France Inter: "Since this is a procedure that does not target the President of the Republic, and considering that the guarantees were in place to ensure compliance with Article 67 of the Constitution and the secret of national defence, the presidency allowed the magistrates to proceed with the acts they requested."

Thursday's search was the first of the Élysée since 2018, when investigators entered the palace during the Benalla affair in the first Macron term. France Inter described the case as part of a wider pattern of probes into procurement at the upper reaches of the French state, including ongoing inquiries into Banque de France and Cour des comptes appointments. The investigation continues; no charges have been filed and the presidency reiterated that Macron is not personally targeted by the probe.