The mayor of Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko, a member of the left-wing party La France Insoumise, is under investigation for misuse of public funds linked to his time working at RATP, the operator of the Paris public transport network, France's National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) announced on Monday, August 24, 2026.
The PNF opened the case on August 19. The investigation follows an article published by the satirical weekly Le Canard enchaîné and a complaint filed by the anti-corruption association AC!! Anti-corruption.
Preliminary inquiry into RATP employment
The PNF said it had opened a preliminary investigation to carry out the necessary checks on the conditions of Bagayoko's employment during his time at RATP.
Le Canard enchaîné, in an article published on August 4, had already reported that Bagayoko held a full-time position at RATP while simultaneously serving as a local elected official. The weekly said he was recruited in 2000 without a competitive exam or an interview, and described his working hours as elastic and his allowances as generous.
At the time, Bagayoko combined the RATP job with his role as deputy mayor, and for a period he also served as vice-president of a departmental council.
Complaint from anti-corruption group
Four days after the Canard enchaîné article appeared, AC!! Anti-corruption filed several complaints against the mayor over suspected misuse of public funds, a fictitious job, and an irregular combination of roles.
Bagayoko responded at the time by accusing his critics of trying to discredit him politically.
A mayor already in the headlines
Bagayoko, mayor of Saint-Denis, a city in the northern suburbs of Paris, has featured in other disputes in recent months, including a contested local election result against television presenter Stephane Bern, and separate reporting on his alleged intervention on behalf of two brothers convicted of drug trafficking.
Support from La France Insoumise
Several figures associated with La France Insoumise, including Manon Aubry, Alexis Corbiere and Jean-Luc Melenchon, the party's candidate for the next presidential election, publicly defended the Saint-Denis mayor on social media, describing the affair as a form of media cabal against him.
Reactions to the investigation
Marcel Claude, president of AC!! Anti-corruption, told the news agency AFP that his association was very satisfied that the PNF had opened an investigation following its complaints, saying there was substance to them. He added that the only thing driving AC!! Anti-corruption was public money, and nothing else, and said the association had full confidence in investigators and the country's justice system.
Through people close to him, Bagayoko said he was serene about the outcome of the investigation. He said he wanted the matter dealt with as quickly as possible and that he remained available to the justice system.
