What if Grégory Doucet was prevented by the mission manager affair?

It's a day that may weigh heavily on the mayor of Lyon's mandate and his 2026 election campaign. On Wednesday, April 9, Grégory Doucet spent about ten hours at Marius-Berliet, the police station in the 8th arrondissement. While in police custody, he was questioned by investigators from the financial brigade about the affair involving the City of Lyon's project managers. Since 2016, supposedly apolitical staff members have allegedly been carrying out political missions for deputies. The latter are not normally allowed to have dedicated staff, as reported by the regional audit chamber.

“There is a major ghost, and that is obviously the absence of Gérard Collomb, who built this system of project managers that has persisted,” believes Laurent Bosetti, deputy in charge of human resources at the City of Lyon. Georges Képénékian, interim mayor during the period of interest to the justice system, was also taken into custody. While environmentalists had denounced Laurent Wauquiez's use of this “grey area” at the Region, Grégory Doucet's majority also placed itself in this zone. “These project managers were administrative agents serving the people of Lyon,” assured Grégory Doucet upon leaving the police station. “Our project managers were on public policy tasks that are part of the daily administrative work of the services. In good faith, we tried to respect the regulatory framework,” continues Laurent Bosetti. A search had taken place in 2024 at City Hall. According to our information, investigators found political notes among the seized documents. The case could continue for months after Grégory Doucet's arrest.