Police raid Paris town hall over Socialist mayor's £51,000 trip to Tahiti

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is under pressure over her trip to Tahiti Photo: REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

Police raided Paris City Hall as part of an investigation into the socialist mayor's taxpayer-funded trip to Tahiti, which she extended for a two-week «vacation».

Anne Hidalgo's trip to the French Pacific island, which requires a flight of about «24 hours from Paris», has been called out howls of disapproval from the opposition and other critics of the left-wing mayor.

They accused her of overspending and dramatically raising lodging taxes to keep the city afloat financially.

They also complained that the trip left a large carbon footprint for an official who claims to be an environmentalist. . crusader.

The raid on City Hall was attended by financial crime investigators and prosecutors from the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF).

Ms. Hidalgo justified her trip by linking it with the Olympics games in Paris this year, where the surfing competition will be held. to Teahupu in Tahiti.

Bring your partner

But she brought her partner and added a two-week personal stay to the €60,000 (£51,200) official visit. Anti-Corruption Association AC!! (Anti-Corruption) stated that her stay included a visit to her daughter, who lives on a nearby island.

She claimed that she paid for the personal leg of the trip, including the flight home.

She claimed that she paid personal stage of the trip, including flight home.

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Ms Hidalgo's office has «already voluntarily provided supporting documentation regarding the city delegation's trip to French Polynesia and New Caledonia», another French Pacific territory, AFP said in a written statement.

It added it had provided additional documents that investigators requested on Tuesday.

The mayor's office also stressed that its own ethics commission, whose members were appointed by Ms. Hidalgo, found no problems with the trip to Polynesia.

The mayor's statement justifying the trip «does not answer the basic question: “Was such a long stay of six people in the Pacific in the interests of the Parisians?” said the protest group Changer Paris, calling the case «Tahitigate.»

The mayor did not publish photos from her trip, but instead continued to post on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram about the daily problems of Paris during her absence from sports stadiums and cycle paths.

Le Monde said it «gave the impression that it had not fully taken responsibility for being 16,732 kilometers from its city», noting that one video showed her cycling along the Seine while she was visiting New Caledonia.

After the controversy erupted, Ms Hidalgo admitted the issue «caused a reaction and there was a lot to be said.”

“Parisians have the right to reliable, factual and transparent information,” she added.