General Benoît Puga detained in Légion d'honneur corruption probe

General Benoît Puga, the former Grand Chancellor of the Légion d'honneur, was taken into police custody on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of an investigation into corruption and influence peddling. Puga, who previously served as the chief of staff at the Elysée under Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, was released without charges following his questioning by the Office anticorruption (Oclciff).

The preliminary investigation, opened by the Parquet national financier (PNF) in September 2023, targets Puga and the late Senator Jean-Pierre Bansard. Authorities are examining whether Puga used his position to facilitate the awarding of decorations to individuals connected to Bansard's professional or family circles between 2016 and 2023. Investigators are working to determine if these interventions involved direct or indirect benefits or kickbacks.