French Republican MP, Olivier Marleix, has been found dead at his home.
According to public prosecutor Frédéric Chevallier, Marleix was discovered hanged in an upstairs room on July 7.
“At this stage, the involvement of a third party can be ruled out, making suicide the most likely cause,” Chevallier stated.
An autopsy was scheduled for July 9.
Electronic devices were seized, but “no documents have been found that could be of interest to the investigation”, Chevallier said.
Marleix, 54, was the son of former minister Alain Marleix and the father of two daughters.
He was known for his criticism of President Emmanuel Macron, particularly regarding the controversial sale of Alstom’s energy division to US giant General Electric.
As former chairman of the parliamentary inquiry into the State’s industrial policy decisions, Marleix had long argued that then-economy minister Arnaud Montebourg was “bypassed” by Macron, who at the time served as deputy secretary-general at the Élysée Palace.
Macron then succeeded Montebourg a few months before General Electric took over Alstom’s energy division.
Marleix said he believed Macron played a central role in authorising the sale without proper oversight. Although the judiciary ultimately dismissed the claim, Marleix continued to raise concerns.
He also claimed to have identified individuals with an interest in the completion of several high-profile sales, including Alstom, Alcatel Technip and STX, who were later involved as advisers, donors, or fundraising organisers for Macron’s 2017 presidential campaign.
“The fact that people with potential financial interests in these sales later appeared among campaign donors or dinner organisers is troubling,” Marleix said at the time in a letter to the Prosecutor of the Republic, and referred to what he alleged was “a corruption pact”.
Following news of his death, tributes poured in from across the political spectrum. Members of the French National Assembly held a minute’s silence in his memory.
Bruno Retailleau, President of The Republicans and Minister of the Interior, expressed his stated: “Our grief is immense.”
Manuel Bompard, national co-ordinator of La France Insoumise party, described Marleix as “a consistently respectful political opponent” and “a singular voice”.
