About 140 Million Won Spent on Clothing Purchases from 2020 to 2024
Luxury Brands Including Dior and Burberry
Nearly 200 Million Won Used for Overseas Travel Expenses
Paris City Hall: "We Comply with Ethics Committee Standards"
The mayor of Paris, a member of France's left-wing Socialist Party, is facing growing controversy after it was revealed that she purchased luxury clothing and spent hundreds of millions of won on overseas business trips using her official expense account.
According to French media outlets including Le Figaro and BFM RMC on the 17th (local time), the non-governmental organization Citizens' Transparency Association (hereafter referred to as the association) announced via social media that from June 2020 to 2024, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo spent 84,200 euros (approximately 137.8 million won) on luxury clothing and 125,000 euros (approximately 204.6 million won) on overseas business trip expenses from her official expense account.
Documents obtained by the association after persistently demanding disclosure from the Paris city government since March last year show that on March 21, 2023, Mayor Hidalgo purchased a Dior dress for 2,800 euros (about 4.6 million won). On June 12 of the same year, she bought another Dior dress for 3,520 euros (about 5.77 million won). In November 2023, she spent 3,067 euros (about 5.02 million won) on a Burberry coat.
BFM RMC pointed out, "Mayor Hidalgo has not disclosed her business-related expenses unless pressured by civic groups, despite her self-proclaimed 'principle of transparency.' This time as well, only after a civic group filed a lawsuit did Paris citizens learn that between 2020 and 2024, Mayor Hidalgo made purchases amounting to about 84,200 euros."
It was also revealed that Mayor Hidalgo purchased relatively inexpensive clothing using her official expense account. On December 15, 2023, she bought a sweater for 153 euros (about 250,000 won) and a dress for 180 euros (about 290,000 won). The total amount spent by Mayor Hidalgo on clothing purchases during this period reached 75,000 euros (about 102.27 million won).
From 2020 to 2024, she spent 125,000 euros on business trip expenses. During visits to New York in 2022 and 2023, she spent 10,034 euros (about 16.42 million won) and 9,810 euros (about 16.06 million won), respectively.
She also spent 12,687 euros (about 20.76 million won) on a trip to Tokyo, Japan for the Paralympics in 2021, and in October 2023, she visited Tahiti, a French territory in the South Pacific. The Tahiti visit was particularly controversial because Mayor Hidalgo extended her stay by two weeks to spend time with her daughter, yet posted on social media as if she had already returned to Paris. As a result, she faced criticism for what was described as a "leisure trip disguised as business."
The Paris city government explained, "The mayor of Paris attends numerous official events throughout the year and hosts foreign leaders and delegations year-round. The clothing purchased with official funds is used for these purposes. We comply with the standards set by the ethics committee."
However, Orlean V?ron, a Paris city council member from the Republican Party, pointed out, "Mayor Hidalgo's office claims that the mayor represents France abroad, but the Paris City Council has never given any official mandate or approval for these overseas trips."
Beyond the political controversy, there is speculation that Mayor Hidalgo could face a judicial investigation. The southeastern French daily Le Dauphin? Lib?r? reported that the French anti-corruption group Anticor has filed a complaint against Mayor Hidalgo for conflict of interest and embezzlement of public funds. Due to these allegations, Paris City Hall was already raided in March last year, and the French National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) told the independent media outlet Mediapart that "the investigation is still ongoing and is in its final stages."
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