Left-wing billionaire businessman Xavier Niel, founder of Iliad/Free media company and major shareholder in Mediawan, has been accused by French MP Charles Alloncle (UDR) of organising and financing a paparazzi operation to obtain and distribute allegedly compromising private photos of him and his parliamentary collaborator.
According to a Mediapart investigation, Niel received the photos before their publication in Paris Match on May 21 and helped circulate them.
The investigation also revealed that in 2024, Niel’s media group acquired the controversial paparazzi agency Bestimage (founded by PR advisor and gossip columnist Michèle “Mimi” Marchand) for a symbolic €1, while injecting €3.7 million to cover its accumulated debts.
The images showed Alloncle with his collaborator Shéhérazade Khandani in a private moment.
Alloncle, who had been a sharp critic of Niel during a parliamentary inquiry into public broadcasting, claims the operation was a deliberate attempt to intimidate and discredit him.
Alloncle claims the photos were taken without consent and amount to an illegal invasion of privacy.
In a strongly worded open letter and posts on X, Alloncle directly accused Niel of orchestrating the operation.
“My being followed through Paris right up to the door of my home, followed by the illegal publication of photos that infringed on my privacy, were apparently organised, funded and disseminated by Xavier Niel”, Alloncle said.
“By what right can a billionaire, disgruntled at having been called to account, use his financial and media resources with complete impunity to intimidate, monitor and smear a Member of Parliament whose only ‘crime’ is to have investigated his contracts with the public sector?”
The PM said the billionaire used “mafia-like tactics” and noted that the centre-left speaker of the French Parliament was slow to react on the scandal while she was quick to order an investigation into the relationship between himself and his assistant.
According to French law, elected officials cannot employ their spouses, parents or children under penalty of a three-year prison sentence and a fine of €45,000.
Alloncle and his assistant had to provide the ethics officer with a series of documents to prove they were not living together
Xavier Niel has firmly denied any involvement in organising or commissioning the photos, describing the accusations as baseless and politically motivated.
Ma traque dans Paris jusqu'à la porte de mon domicile puis la diffusion illégale de photos portant atteinte à ma vie privée, auraient donc été organisées, financées et relayées par Xavier Niel.
De quel droit un milliardaire mécontent d'avoir eu à rendre des comptes peut-il, en… https://t.co/NQbXjnajMM
— Charles Alloncle (@CHAlloncle) June 7, 2026
The scandal has drawn relatively muted outrage from much of the mainstream French media, some of which are partly owned or significantly influenced by Niel himself.
For example, Niel is a major shareholder in Le Monde through his investment vehicles, and his Mediawan group controls numerous other outlets.
This stands in sharp contrast to the intense scrutiny and moral condemnation that often greets less serious actions by conservative media owner Vincent Bolloré.
When Bolloré’s outlets are accused of aggressive reporting or political bias, it frequently triggers weeks of indignation, calls for investigations, and accusations of “democratic danger.” In Niel’s case, involving a sitting MP and potential abuse of media power, the reaction has been notably subdued.
The National Assembly’s Deontology Officer has already cleared Alloncle of any professional misconduct regarding his relationship with his collaborator.
Secret film recordings have shown French Socialist Party executives held discussions with prominent public service journalists regarding strategy for the 2027 national election and the municipal elections of 2026.
The recordings of apparent collusion caused an uproar in France,… pic.twitter.com/R4lTwKNXEZ
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) September 8, 2025
