Nice’s Glittering Events, Murky Finances: Mayor Estrosi and Wife Questioned over Junior Eurovision and Climate Summit
When the Côte d’Azur promises song contests and climate crusades, one assumes sunshine and good PR—not flashing blue lights and a trip to the station.
A Riviera Reality Check
French prosecutors have placed Christian Estrosi, the long-standing Mayor of Nice, and his television-presenter wife Laura Tenoudji-Estrosi in custody for questioning. At issue: whether the city’s generous chequebook—wielded to host Junior Eurovision 2023 and the Nice Climate Summit—also wrote a few lines that shouldn’t appear on a municipal ledger.
The figures are strikingly operatic. Nice reportedly spent €605,000 to welcome Junior Eurovision, where Tenoudji co-hosted the opening ceremony. The Climate Summit—organised with business daily La Tribune—enjoyed further public subsidies and was to feature Laura moderating high-profile panels… until public eyebrows arched higher than an Alpine col.
From Spotlight to Interrogation Lamp
France’s specialist inter-regional financial unit in Marseille (think CSI: Budget Edition) is probing suspected misappropriation of public funds, conflict of interest and a dash of forgery. France Télévisions president Delphine Ernotte-Cunci and senior executives have also been interviewed, as has La Tribune boss *Jean-Christophe Tortora. All parties, naturally, are offering the classic Gallic “no comment”—possibly the only French phrase even tourists get right.
The Legal Fine Print
Eurovision aficionados know the drill: when the votes are in, transparency is king. French auditors feel the same about invoices. Investigators must decide whether paying six-figure sums for civic prestige is savvy soft power or simply soft-headed. The Estrosis maintain they have “committed no offence”; critics counter that hiring one’s spouse for a taxpayer-funded gala is—how shall we put it—not entirely best practice.
Political Fallout and PR gymnastics
City Hall insists it respects the secrecy of the inquiry (translation: “We’re saying nothing until our lawyer says something”). Meanwhile, the Riviera’s gossip mill whirs faster than a pétanque boule. Should charges stick, Nice may find its climate credentials—and Eurovision bragging rights—drowned out by a chorus of Je ne regrette rien from rival cities eager to host the next big bash.
It remains to be seen whether the mayoral couple exit stage right or encore, triumphant. One thing is certain: on the French Riviera, the line between la dolce vita and la dolce hacha can be as thin as a croissant—flaky, buttery, and prone to collapse if not handled with care.
Source: France 3
