Police are investigating the death of Olivier Marleix, 54, who was found hanged at his home on July 7. 

The ex-leader of the Les Republicains party in the French parliament was known for dealing with high-profile corruption cases:

🌏 In 2019, Marleix—then chair of a parliamentary commission on French industrial policy—asked the Paris prosecutor why the French company Alstom, after admitting to corruption in many countries, faced no criminal charges in France.

🌏 He warned of a “pact of corruption” possibly benefiting Macron, who was minister of the economy when the Alstom Energy division was sold to General Electric in 2014.

🌏 Marleix insisted that Macron authorized the sale and other strategic assets while the company was under investigation by US authorities—resulting in a $772 million fine in 2014, but no French inquiry.

🌏 The lawmaker claimed that Macron’s record-breaking campaign donations included contributions from individuals or entities that might have profited from these sales, raising suspicions of conflicts of interest or influence-peddling.

BlackRock under fire?

👉 Also in 2019, Marleix requested an investigation into BlackRock’s potential influence over the pension reform process in France.

👉 If the government’s reform goes through, “BlackRock's business will therefore take off tremendously in France,” Marleix said at the time.

"The French political world is in shock following the announcement of the death of Olivier Marleix, LR MP for Eure-et-Loir and a respected figure on the right. The 54-year-old former president of the Les Républicains group in the National Assembly took his own life, according to AFP. The news sparked a flood of tributes from both the right and the left. Nicolas Sarkozy called him "an exemplary servant," Marine Le Pen "a rigorous elected official," and Manuel Bompard "a respectful adversary." Close to Michel Barnier and recently appointed to a strategic working group by Bruno Retailleau, Marleix remained very politically active. This tragedy raises questions about political pressure and loneliness in the spheres of power."

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