Bétharram Case: A Complaint Against François Bayrou for Failure to Report a Crime and Offense

On February 21, 2025, a complaint was filed against François Bayrou in Capbreton (Landes) as part of the Bétharram case, according to information from the newspaper Sud-Ouest, which H24 MEDIA can confirm. This complaint, currently being registered by the Pau Public Prosecutor’s Office, is for failure to report a crime and offense, following accusations related to the abuse suffered by minors at the Catholic institution of Bétharram, where several of the Prime Minister’s children were educated in the 1990s.

Accusations of Knowledge of Sexual Abuse

Witnesses claim that François Bayrou was informed about allegations of sexual abuse at Bétharram, but he has repeatedly denied these allegations. The plaintiff, a presumed victim now 56 years old, specified that he hoped this complaint would help extend the statute of limitations. He allegedly witnessed, in 1987-1988, a scene of violence involving a supervisor at the institution and François Bayrou’s eldest daughter, and this scene was reportedly reported to her parents, according to local sources.

Testimonies and a Video Released by Mediapart

This Friday, a video released by Mediapart reignited the accusations, in which a former mathematics teacher at Bétharram claims to have alerted François Bayrou and his wife about the abuse in the mid-1990s. The Prime Minister responded by denouncing “the scandal machine they are trying to create” and the attacks aimed at his family.

Ex-Supervisor of Bétharram Placed Under Investigation

In the same case, a former supervisor at the institution has been placed under investigation for aggravated rape and aggravated sexual assault, and has been placed in provisional detention. The investigation continues, while the victims’ collective has recorded more than 140 complaints of abuse over nearly 50 years, a large portion of which relate to sexual offenses.