France: Mayoral candidate in Lyon's 2nd district demands mayor step down on embezzlement accusations

​​​​​​​By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - A mayoral candidate in Lyon’s second district in France urged the mayor to resign after he was detained in a probe for the embezzlement of public funds.

“Gregory Doucet cannot be both his own defense attorney and the financial prosecutor for the City. I am therefore calling for him to step back from his duties as Mayor of Lyon,” Pierre Oliver, a candidate in the March 2026 elections, said Wednesday in a statement.

He noted that the French city “necessarily suffered” financial harm, if the allegation is true, underlining that the damage should be rectified.

“If the Mayor is implicated in this affair, as the police custody regime may suggest, he is therefore in a position where he cannot seek reimbursement of this potentially embezzled money,” said Oliver.

He underscored that taxpayers should be able to expect reimbursement in the embezzlement case.

Doucet was released Wednesday after he was taken into police custody as part of the investigation.

The Lyon Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation in February 2024 under an article related to "embezzlement of public funds by persons vested with public authority."

The case relates to the alleged illegal hiring of 24 special advisors, believed to be acting as Cabinet staff and exceeding the legal limit of 12 staffers. It potentially constituted public fund misappropriation between 2016 and 2023.

The Regional Chamber of Accounts targeted the Lyon city administration last September with a report that questioned the role of the 24 staffers.​​​​​​​