Bétharram Scandal: Prime Minister François Bayrou to Testify Before Parliamentary Inquiry on May 14

Prime Minister François Bayrou is set to appear before the parliamentary commission investigating violence in schools on May 14 at 5 p.m., as announced on Thursday, April 10, by the commission’s chair, MP Fatiha Keloua Hachi. The commission was established in response to the scandal surrounding the Catholic institution Notre-Dame de Bétharram, located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region. Matignon has confirmed that the Prime Minister agreed to the summons.

A Series of Ministerial Hearings to Follow

Several current and former government officials are also expected to testify in May, including the current Minister of National Education, Élisabeth Borne, and her predecessors Nicole Belloubet, Jean-Michel Blanquer, Pap Ndiaye, and Ségolène Royal. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin will also be heard by the commission.

A Scandal of Widespread Abuse

In total, around 200 complaints have been filed by former students of the Bétharram institution, citing physical abuse and sexual assault. Although most of the alleged acts are believed to be time-barred, they have prompted renewed legal scrutiny. According to information reported by BFMTV, 14 priests and four lay staff members—including three former supervisors—are named in the complaints.

Allegations Involving the Prime Minister

François Bayrou, who has served as mayor of Pau since 2014, is accused by several witnesses of having knowledge of incidents at Bétharram during his tenure as Minister of Education—an accusation he has consistently denied. “I do not know these individuals, and neither does my wife,” he told members of Parliament. Nevertheless, a former gendarme testified under oath on Thursday that a magistrate had mentioned an “intervention” by François Bayrou during a 1998 investigation into a rape allegation against a member of the institution’s clergy.