Private daycare scandal: accused of “false testimony”, Aurore Bergé targeted by a request for “initiating criminal proceedings”

Aurore Bergé a été mise en cause dans le livre Les Ogres de Victor Castanet. MAXPPP – Thomas Padilla

Aurore Bergé, the Ensemble pour la République MP, has been implicated in the private daycare affair. 

The office of the National Assembly decided on Wednesday, October 9, to refer the case of former Macronist minister Aurore Bergé to the courts. She has been accused by left-wing MPs of "false testimony" for having denied any personal connection with a private daycare lobbyist before a commission of inquiry, according to parliamentary sources.

The"request for criminal prosecution" against Ms. Bergé – now a member of parliament for Ensemble pour la République – was approved by 10 votes "for" and nine votes "against", during a vote by the bureau, an executive body dominated by the left, these sources specified.

"Non-aggression pact"

In his investigative book, Les Ogres, Victor Castanet speaks of a "non-aggression pact" which was allegedly concluded between the former Minister of Families Aurore Bergé and the General Delegate of the Federation of Daycare Companies Elsa Hervy. 

"They exchanged closely every day on secure applications. There was a request, to which the private groups responded, that of never criticizing government policy and of supporting the minister.

In return for which Aurore Bergé showed a form of leniency towards private actors, conveying their messages during her speeches. She claimed that she had never given any specific instructions, that there had never been any agreement – which contradicts the testimonies and documents that were given to me”, the journalist had affirmed during an interview with AFP.