France’s Council of State has ended its investigation into Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s expense reports, which included items of luxury clothing.
The Conseil d’État is France’s most senior administrative court, as well as the legal adviser to the executive branch.
Hidalgo came under criticism after it was revealed she used taxpayer money to pay for expensive Dior dresses and a Burberry coat, alongside lavish travel expenses.
Following a legal battle with Transparence Citoyenne (Citizen Transparency) and other civil society groups, it became publicly known in late September that Hidalgo had claimed €210,000 in reimbursed expenses over four years.
The close of the official investigation into her expenses, reported in the French newspaper Le Figaro, marks a significant win for the Socialist mayor. Hidalgo has faced increased scrutiny into her administration’s spending amid the city’s ballooning debt.
An official investigation into Hidalgo’s expenses had sat before France’s Council of State since 2021.
Three watchdog associations, led by l’Union Parisienne, had demanded full disclosure of Hidalgo’s “frais de bouche” (meal expenses), representation costs, and travel receipts from 2020, amid the COVID-19 crisis and economic strain.
Critics argued the absence of restaurant bills in publicly disclosed receipts raised red flags, especially as Hidalgo hosted official receptions at the Hôtel de Ville.
The mayor countered such events were adequately documented internally, negating the need for any external invoices.
After initial setbacks, including a partial defeat in the Administrative Tribunal in October 2024, l’Union Parisienne appealed to the Council of State.
In a terse decision, the Council of State upheld the lower ruling, deeming Hidalgo’s justifications sufficient and dismissing demands for an exhaustive investigation.
“The mayor’s explanations align with the exercise of her mandate,” the judgment stated, rejecting claims that her explanations were opaque.
The civil society associations were meanwhile ordered to cover part of the mayor’s legal fees. The three watchdog bodies called the outcome “stunning,” with lawyer Patrick Tabet vowing to explore further avenues, though options appear limited.
The decision arrives at a politically charged time.
Hidalgo, who has announced she will not seek re-election in 2026, is now embroiled in a fresh September 2025 scandal over €75,000 in reimbursed expenses and representation fees from 2020-2024, including luxury garments from Burberry and Dior for official duties.
French newspapers Libération and Le Monde revealed similar excesses among the local mayors of Paris’s arrondissements, prompting Hidalgo to publish their ledgers preemptively. Her opponents, like Les Républicains’ Rachida Dati, branded Hidalgo’s move a “diversion.”
Hidalgo has also filed complaints for “defamatory denunciations”, while insisting all expenditures fell within her €19,720 annual cap, reduced from €29,000 since 2001 under her predecessor Bertrand Delanoë.
Her supporters have praised the ruling as the mayor’s vindication against “politically motivated witch hunts”. First Deputy Mayor Patrick Bloche says the expenses available to the mayor for her official duties represented a “bulwark against corruption”.
Yet Hidalgo’s critics, including Transparency International, say a “legal fog” allows mayors to make vague “representation” claims, covering costs ranging from child-sized meals to international jaunts.
“Transparency isn’t optional—it’s the oxygen of democracy,” tweeted l’Union Parisienne’s Claire-Amélie Pelosse.
Transparence Citoyenne said on X they were “still in litigation with the Paris City Council, which has never provided us with proof of Anne Hidalgo’s travel expenses. We are eagerly awaiting a court date. We remain confident despite this worrying decision by the Council of State”.
The Vice-President of the French Council of State, Didier-Roland Tabuteau, who normally presides over the institution, is closely associated with the French Socialist Party.
Tabuteau worked extensively in Socialist-led governments under Presidents François Mitterrand and Lionel Jospin from 1988 to 2002, although he is not currently a party member.
