Paris mayor Hidalgo faces fresh scrutiny over designer-dress expenses

Paris — The left-wing mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, is facing renewed scrutiny over allegations that she claimed more than £10,500 for designer dresses after attempting to conceal her expenses, according to receipts obtained under a Freedom of Information request.

The revelations detail expenditures including £5,500 for a pair of Dior dresses last year, £2,700 for a Burberry coat in 2023, and £977 for a Dior blouse in 2021. In total, receipts show about £73,400 spent on clothing and travel expenses over several years in office, prompting immediate criticism from opposition groups and civil-society watchdogs.

Hidalgo’s supporters counter that the purchases were legitimate, arguing that the mayor’s role requires frequent travel and representation at official engagements, including meetings with heads of state and foreign delegations. Her office noted that she participates in numerous official functions throughout the year, which critics say may have justified certain expenditures. The controversy marks at least the third time since 2014 that Hidalgo has been accused of not fully disclosing travel, culinary, and entertainment expenses, according to Mediapart.

The disclosures come after a protracted legal dispute between Hidalgo and Civic Transparency, an anti-corruption campaign group, which released a sequence of receipts in a string of posts on X. Civic Transparency has pressed for fuller transparency from the mayor, who is Spanish-born and has led Paris since 2014. In response, Hidalgo’s office has maintained that the expenditures were incurred in the normal course of official duties and represent legitimate costs associated with representing Paris on the international stage.

Critics seized on the figures as evidence of taxpayers’ money being used for luxury items. Paul Hatte, the vice-president of the council’s centre-right opposition, urged that “no business person has the right to claim their outfits as a professional expense.” He added that Parisians “have been paying for years for the luxury in which the mayor indulges. This is no longer a Republic. It’s a principality,” a comment circulated on social media.

This is not Hidalgo’s first brush with allegations over public funds. Last year, anti-corruption groups filed a criminal complaint alleging misused taxpayer money, which led to police raids on her offices. Prosecutors said the inquiry remained ongoing as of this week. In 2023, Hidalgo faced separate criticism after spending about £52,000 to travel to Tahiti for a work trip that she reportedly extended into a two-week holiday, and later sparked controversy when she posted photos of herself cycling by the Seine while apparently in French Polynesia.

Conservative Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who has long positioned herself as Hidalgo’s rival to replace her as mayor, has repeatedly accused Hidalgo of sleaze and called for a formal investigation. Dati herself faces a separate probe into allegations that she failed to declare more than £349,000 in jewelry and watches in an assets declaration required of cabinet members. Prosecutors have not ruled on that matter, but Dati remains among the leading candidates in the next mayoral race.

The political dynamic has intensified as both Hidalgo and Dati remain popular in some polls, complicating the path to a seamless transition of power next year. The ongoing investigations and public scrutiny underscore a broader debate in Paris over how elected officials disclose and justify personal and official expenses, and what constitutes appropriate use of public funds for representing the city on the world stage.

As the legal process unfolds, Paris residents and watchdog groups will be watching closely for new disclosures and for any potential clarifications from Hidalgo’s office. The case highlights the ongoing tension between transparency, accountability, and the demands placed on the leaders of one of Europe’s most prominent capitals.