Gérard Larcher

After MP Sandrine Josso had been drugged without her knowledge by senator Joël Guerriau in November 2023, she criticised Gérard Larcher for offering her no public support for more than two years and not referring the matter to the Ethics Committee. Following Guerriau's first-instance conviction in 2026, Larcher finally expressed his support publicly.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Institutional responsibility

Public criticism arose concerning the scope of checks on senators' parliamentary expenses. The Senate Bureau stated that, in 2024, 56 % of expenditure incurred under the parliamentary expenses allowance was subject to checks.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Institutional responsibility

In 2024, Gérard Larcher expressed reservations about enshrining the guaranteed freedom to obtain an abortion in the Constitution, arguing in particular that abortion rights were not under threat and that the Constitution should not become a catalogue of social rights and issues.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Personally implicated

In February 2024, press revelations referred to the alleged use of an intimate video as a means of pressure within the Senate and linked the affair to dismissals in its medical service. Gérard Larcher, as Senate President, referred the matter to the public prosecutor.

State of the evidence

Allegations

During debates on opening marriage to same-sex couples, Gérard Larcher co-signed an amendment proposing to specify that 'marriage is the union of a man and a woman'. The amendment was rejected.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Directly implicated

In July 2011, payment of an exceptional €3,531 bonus to senators, presented as a retrospective adjustment to their parliamentary expenses allowance, triggered controversy. Gérard Larcher initially defended the payment before asking the Senate's administrative authorities to cancel the decision.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Institutional responsibility

A controversy concerned Gérard Larcher's allowances as mayor of Rambouillet while he held other positions. He acknowledged an overpayment of €8 615.59 and stated that he had reimbursed it in full. A complaint alleging unlawful collection of public funds was closed without further action because no offence had been established.

On 3 October 1988, Gérard Larcher co-signed a bill proposing to reinstate the death penalty for 'the most heinous crimes' and to protect certain security and judicial officials, seven years after its abolition in France.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Directly implicated

An opinion piece published in 'Rambouillet Informations' prompted Front national and Jean-Marie Le Pen to initiate defamation proceedings. Gérard Larcher, mayor of Rambouillet and publication director, was implicated on the basis of his editorial responsibility. Following his election to the Senate, the upper chamber adopted a resolution on 15 May 1987 suspending the proceedings for the duration of his term.

State of the evidence

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