Paris: Paris prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into alleged workplace bullying within French government departments following a civil servant's suicide attempt.
According to Anadolu Agency, the investigation was initiated after a complaint was filed on June 25 by an employee of the Prime Minister's Correspondence Department. The complaint, filed against four superiors, alleged psychological harassment, as reported by public broadcaster France Inter on Monday. The case has been assigned to the Brigade for the Repression of Crimes Against Persons, confirmed by the Paris prosecutor's office.
The civil servant, known by the pseudonym Laura, reportedly attempted suicide in April. Her lawyer, Christelle Mazza, described her experience as 16 months of workplace mistreatment. Laura faced exclusion from meetings, removal from the organizational chart, public humiliation, and isolation in a basement office. Despite raising concerns with her union, management, and occupational health services, an internal audit confirmed severe workplace distress, and she was advised to leave the department.
The case has prompted colleagues to invoke Article 40 of France's Code of Criminal Procedure, which mandates public officials to notify prosecutors of any crime or offense. The report included allegations of workplace harassment and endangerment of life, citing two suicides and another attempted suicide among employees linked to the Prime Minister's Office between October 2025 and March 2026.
The Prime Minister's services, comprising around 50 secretariats, directorates, and other bodies, are responsible for coordinating government action. Staff representatives attribute rising workplace pressure partly to political instability following the dissolution of the National Assembly in June 2024, subsequent formation of four governments in two years, and departmental reorganizations, staffing cuts, and management changes.
Three internal inquiries are underway, including investigations into the two suicides and a broader assessment of psychosocial risks across the Prime Minister's services by an external firm. The Prime Minister's Office emphasized that preventing psychosocial risks is a priority and stated that support had been provided to affected colleagues. It noted that 66 cases were referred to its workplace distress support system in 2025, compared with 44 in 2024.