Overview
- On Friday May 22, Assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet referred the case to the chamber’s déontologue after Paris Match published two photographs showing MP Charles Alloncle with his parliamentary collaborator Shéhérazade Khandani.
- French law enacted in 2017 bans a parliamentarian from employing a spouse, PACS partner or cohabitant and treats a life in common as possible evidence of concubinage that can make such hires illegal.
- Charles Alloncle denies any legal breach, described the pictures as "stolen," and said he will sue Paris Match for what he called unlawful reporting.
- The déontologue will conduct a preliminary check and may refer the matter to the Assembly bureau for disciplinary steps if a breach is found, a process a close aide to Braun-Pivet said could be concluded before summer.
- The story has intensified because Alloncle recently led a high-profile report on public broadcasting and because Paris Match first called Khandani his "compagne" then changed the wording to "a friend," a shift that drew official scrutiny.