France Probes Millions in Virus Unemployment Fraud

A person walks on Trocadero square as a lockdown is imposed to slow the rate of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Paris, France, April 26, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
A person walks on Trocadero square as a lockdown is imposed to slow the rate of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Paris, France, April 26, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
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France Probes Millions in Virus Unemployment Fraud

A person walks on Trocadero square as a lockdown is imposed to slow the rate of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Paris, France, April 26, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
A person walks on Trocadero square as a lockdown is imposed to slow the rate of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Paris, France, April 26, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Organized crime groups sought to defraud the French state of millions of euros meant for workers left jobless by the virus lockdown, prosecutors said Friday.

France had an exceptionally generous temporary unemployment scheme that subsidized workers’ salaries while restaurants, schools and businesses across the economy shut down for two months or more to contain the virus.

Criminals took advantage of it, successfully obtaining more than 2 million euros from the state that did not go to workers, the Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Authorities so far have been able to suspend another 6 million euros in scheduled payments and recover 421,000 euros already spent on nonexistent workers, it said.

The Paris prosecutor's office is now leading a nationwide investigation into what it calls “massive fraud” and money laundering by organized crime groups that it did not identify. It is notably investigating potential international connections to the fraud.

Prosecutors in the southern city of Toulouse and the central French city of Limoges initially started investigating an unusually large number of similar applications from companies for money from the temporary unemployment fund. Investigators found that the applicants were using registration numbers of companies that had not applied for the state salary subsidies, and funneled the money to hundreds of French bank accounts instead of to workers.

France spent billions of euros on the temporary unemployment program, which was credited with keeping people employed and allowing businesses to stay afloat during lockdown. The economy has started picking up as France gradually reopens, but tourism is muted and many companies are struggling to revive, and the country is still facing its worst recession in decades.



Türkiye’s Opposition Leader Visits Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

A protester holds a flower towards policemen during a march to Taksim Square from the Istanbul Municipality headquarters during a protest against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Türkiye, 24 March 2025. (EPA)
A protester holds a flower towards policemen during a march to Taksim Square from the Istanbul Municipality headquarters during a protest against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Türkiye, 24 March 2025. (EPA)
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Türkiye’s Opposition Leader Visits Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

A protester holds a flower towards policemen during a march to Taksim Square from the Istanbul Municipality headquarters during a protest against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Türkiye, 24 March 2025. (EPA)
A protester holds a flower towards policemen during a march to Taksim Square from the Istanbul Municipality headquarters during a protest against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Türkiye, 24 March 2025. (EPA)

The head of Türkiye’s main opposition party visited jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Tuesday after six nights of massive protests calling for his release.

Imamoglu, arrested on March 19 on corruption charges, is seen as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule. His arrest has been widely viewed as politically motivated and sparked demonstrations, some turning violent, across the country. The government insists Türkiye’s judiciary is independent and free of political influence.

Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Imamoglu's Republican People’s Party, or CHP, arrived at Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, in a convoy of vehicles Tuesday morning. He is expected to brief the media on the condition of the mayor, who spent his second night in jail.

Ozel announced the night before that Tuesday evening would be CHP's final rally outside Istanbul’s City Hall, calling for people to join in. He also said the party would appoint a member to the municipal council to act as mayor in Imamoglu's place, staving off the possibility of a state-appointed one.

Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have been cracking down on journalists as protests grew.

The Media and Law Studies Association, a civil society group, said eight journalists who were detained "for covering protests in Istanbul," banned by authorities, had been brought to the city’s Caglayan Courthouse. They are accused of "violating the law on meetings and demonstrations," the group said.

Media workers’ unions have condemned the arrests as an "attack on press freedoms and the people’s right to learn the truth."

Demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, as well as smaller cities and towns across Türkiye, have been largely peaceful with protesters demanding Imamoglu’s release and an end to democratic backsliding. However, some turned violent, with officers deploying water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray and firing plastic pellets at protesters, some of whom have hurled stones, fireworks and other objects at riot police.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said early Tuesday that police had detained 43 "provocateurs" over what he said were "vile insults" hurled at Erdogan and his family at protests. Some 1,133 protesters were detained between Wednesday and Sunday, he said earlier.

Ozel and Imamoglu's social media accounts posted condemnations of insults hurled at Erdogan's mother.

Imamoglu has been jailed on suspicion of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data and bid-rigging — accusations he has denied. He also faces prosecution on terror-related charges and has been suspended from duty as a "temporary measure."

Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people have been jailed pending trial, including a key aide and two district mayors from Istanbul. A further 44 suspects in the case alleging widespread graft at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality were released under judicial control.

Although Türkiye is not due for another election until 2028, there is a reasonable possibility that Erdogan will call for an early vote in order to run for another term.

Imamoglu has been confirmed as the candidate for the CHP and has performed well in recent polls against Erdogan. He was elected mayor of Türkiye’s largest city in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul alongside its predecessors for a quarter-century.