Monday, June 23, 2025
Home News French presidential aide Kohler accused of conflict of interest over MSC relations

French presidential aide Kohler accused of conflict of interest over MSC relations

Elysee Palace secretary general Alexis Kohler has been charged with conflict of interest for allegedly failing to disclose his familial ties with MSC.

Prosecutor Jean-François Bohnert said today (4 October) that Kohler, whose full name is Arnaud Alexis Michel Kohler, had failed to disclose that his mother is a cousin of MSC founder Gianluigi Aponte’s wife Rafaela.

In 2018, French investigative news site Mediapart published a report alleging that Kohler concealed his ties to MSC from the parliamentary ethics commission, while he was an employee of the French finance ministry.

The report alleged that after leaving the French civil service and joining MSC in 2016, Kohler attended at least one government meeting to discuss the fate of STX France, the French state-supported affiliate of the now-defunct South Korean STX shipbuilding group. Eventually, half of STX France was sold to Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri in 2018.

Subsequently, during the same year, Anticor, an anti-corruption watchdog, filed a legal complaint against Kohler, accusing him of using his position as a French civil servant to award French government contracts to MSC in 2010 and 2011.

While the complaint was thrown out in 2019, Anticor did not give up and in 2020, filed a lawsuit against Kohler, setting off a magistrate’s probe.

Kohler, described as Macron’s right-hand man, handles emergencies, major economic and social issues as well as some political decisions. Through his lawyer, Eric Dezeuze, Kohler has denied any wrongdoing, although Anticor lawyer Jean-Baptiste Soufron asserts that resignation is inevitable for the French presidential aide.


Martina Li
Correspondent





Latest Posts

Shipping risks rise as Taiwan Strait emerges as strategic flashpoint

China’s military blasted the Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Spey for its deliberate attempt to cause trouble as the vessel threaded the Taiwan Strait. Britain’s...

Maersk suspends calls to Haifa amid rising regional tensions

Maersk has decided to temporarily suspend vessel calls to the Port of Haifa, Israel, as well as halt cargo acceptance for this destination. In light...

Strait of Hormuz tensions put global shipping and markets on edge

The weekend US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities have pushed the maritime community onto what one operator called maximum alert. ...

Latin America trade volumes increased in 1Q 2025

Latin America's containerized trade volumes increased by 5% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to provisional...

GXO appoints Patrick Kelleher as Chief Executive Officer

GXO Logistics has announced the appointment of Patrick Kelleher as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective August 19, 2025. Kelleher joins GXO with more than...
error: Content is protected !!