Luxury hotel, business class flights… the governor of the Bank of France singled out for his colossal expense reports
François Villeroy de Galhau said he was “stunned” by the article in Le Monde. MAXPPP – Mathieu Pattier
The governor of the Bank of France, François Villeroy de Galhau, would have cost taxpayers more than 50,000 euros in expense reports in 2023 according to an investigation published this Friday, May 17 by Le Monde, which the daily explains by the governor's taste for luxury hotels and business class flights.
Tastes that are expensive… to taxpayers. According to a survey published by Le Monde this Friday, May 17, the governor of the Bank of France, François Villeroy de Galhau accumulated "more than 50 700 euros in expenses linked to his professional travel and meals for the year 2023 alone". An exorbitant sum which can be explained, according to our colleagues, “by the governor's taste for luxury hotels and business class flights"< /em>.
In the details of expenses, Le Monde reports thirty-six nights spent in four or five star hotels, at an average of 300 euros per night, chosen to the detriment of less expensive and less distant hotels closer to its meeting places, plane travel systematically in business class (the air transport bill represents more than half of the total budget, and amounts to 27,480 euros), and first class by train.
"The extent of these expense reports may raise questions for a public manager like François Villeroy de Galhau, whose annual salary is 303 847 euros, to which are added 74 184 euros in housing allowances", underline our colleagues.
He denounces "a purely personal attack"
In a letter addressed to Le Monde as a right of reply, the latter denounces "a purely personal attack" and deplores "an unfounded controversy" which would aim to "harm its institution".
François Villeroy de Galhau then disputes all the points listed in the article in the national daily. He specifies on the one hand that his plane notes hold "essentially for three long-haul trips (17 478  ;euros): for the G20 in India in February, for the IMF annual meetings in the United States in April, and for the G7 in Japan in May" and justifies his business class travel by "work, security and confidentiality reasons".
Concerning the choice of his accommodation, the former deputy general director of BNP Paris affirms that contrary to what Le Monde indicates, he does not favor "only" luxury hotels. He returns in particular to "the particular case" for one night in Davos for its World Forum, at 862 euros, and defends itself: "the article fails to specify that I’ ;I therefore limited the duration of my stay to a minimum: a single night for three public interventions by the Banque de France; and that I went to Davos by train from Paris.
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