Bétharram Case: François Bayrou Denies Any Involvement and Points to the Responsibility of the Government at the Time

Questioned in the National Assembly on Tuesday, February 18, Prime Minister François Bayrou reaffirmed that he had never intervened, “neither directly nor indirectly,” in the case of violence at the Catholic school Notre-Dame de Bétharram near Pau. He firmly denied any interference in the investigation targeting Father Carricart, the former school director accused of rape in 1998.

A Testimony That Reignites Controversy

On Sunday, a gendarme in charge of the investigation at the time stated on TF1 that François Bayrou had “intervened” with the Attorney General of Pau while serving as president of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques General Council. According to this testimony, the investigating judge allegedly said that the suspect’s indictment had been delayed because “the Attorney General wants to review the case file; Mr. Bayrou has intervened with him.”

In response, the Prime Minister firmly denied the allegations, emphasizing that a magistrate is legally prohibited from disclosing case information to anyone outside the investigation. He also underscored the “absolute integrity” of the investigating judge, whom he described as his “neighbor for 50 years.”

Shifting Responsibility to the Jospin Government

Bayrou went further by stating that others were aware of the case at the time, directly pointing to the socialist government of Lionel Jospin. He revealed that the Attorney General of Pau had informed the Ministry of Justice four times in 1998, when Élisabeth Guigou was minister. He insisted that it was unthinkable for her to have ignored “such a serious report.”

The Prime Minister also suggested that Claude Allègre, the then Minister of Education, and Ségolène Royal, Minister for School Education, were likely informed of the issue. He questioned what actions were taken following these reports, recalling that when he was Education Minister in 1996, he had personally ordered an inspection in another sensitive case.

In response, Ségolène Royal expressed outrage over these accusations, stating on social media that she had issued directives as early as 1997 to break the silence and protect children. She even mentioned the possibility of legal action for “defamation.”

As the opposition calls for further clarification, François Bayrou stands firm in his defense: he claims he never had access to the case file and never exerted any pressure on the judiciary.