Claude Guéant

Guéant was born in Vimy. He studied law in Paris at a university. He then entered Sciences Po and then the ENA administration school (Thomas More promotion of 1971).

After graduating from the ENA, Guéant became chief of staff of the prefect of the Finistère department, and then, in 1974, general secretary of Guadeloupe for economic affairs. In 1977, he entered the Ministry of Interior as a technical counsellor of Christian Bonnet, an office which he held until François Mitterrand's election in 1981.

Nominated sub-prefect (sous-préfet hors-classe), Guéant then worked alongside the prefect of the region Centre. Guéant then became general secretary of the prefecture of the Hérault department and then of the Hauts-de-Seine. In 1991, he was nominated prefect of the Hautes-Alpes department.

During the second cohabitation (Édouard Balladur's government), Guéant was named deputy-director of Charles Pasqua's cabinet, who was at the time the Minister of Interior. In 1994, he was named general director of the national police.

Under Jacques Chirac's presidency, Guéant was named in 1998 prefect of the Franche-Comté region and of the Doubs department, before being named prefect of the Brittany region and of the Ille-et-Vilaine department in 2000.

Guéant has been closely associated with Nicolas Sarkozy since at least 2002. From 2002 he was Sarkozy's chief of staff (directeur de cabinet), following him to the Ministry of Finance in 2004, then to the Ministry of the Interior from June 2005 to March 2007. During the 2007 presidential campaign, he was in charge of Sarkozy's campaign. and was named general secretary of the Elysée on 16 May 2007. He was particularly listened to by Sarkozy, and his power has given him many surnames such as the "Cardinal",[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4374fc94-7c9f-11df-8b74-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2M94Rqo4E France’s ‘Cardinal’ puts faith in reform], FT, 21 June 2010. "Prime Minister bis", or "Vice President".{{cite magazine|title=Claude Guéant : le vice-président|magazine=Le Monde Magazine|issue=29|issn=2105-1275|date=3 April 2010|language=fr}}

On 27 February 2011, Guéant was nominated Secretary of the Interior (Ministère de l'Intérieur). Though Alain Juppé has explicitly denied it,"Alain Juppé: Le quai d'Orsay ne se refuse pas," Sud Ouest, 1 Mar 2011, http://www.sudouest.fr/2011/03/01/alain-juppe-le-quai-d-orsay-ne-se-refuse-pas-329359-2780.php many have claimed that Guéant's departure from the post of general secretary was a sine qua non for Juppé to accept the Minister of Foreign Affairs position the same day, due to Guéant's meddling in foreign policy since his appointment in 2007."Guéant: L'éminence grise en première ligne," Le Figaro, 27 Feb 2011, http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2011/02/27/01002-20110227ARTFIG00199-gueantl-eminence-grise-en-premiere-ligne.phpLe Nouvel Observateur, 14 Oct 2009, http://globe.blogs.nouvelobs.com/archive/2009/10/14/les-voyages-discrets-de-claude-gueant.html

During his time as minister, Guéant and his Italian counterpart Roberto Maroni agreed in April 2011 on the two countries working together to patrol the coasts and enforce an accord between Italy and Tunisia on the return of migrants.Rachel Donadio (8 April 2011), [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/world/europe/09italy.html France to Help Italy Block Tunisian Migrants] New York Times. Also in 2011, he oversaw police raids in Paris and in two of its heavily immigrant suburbs which resulted in the arrest of suspected terrorists who were planning to go to Pakistan to train with Islamic militants.Maïa de la Baume (10 May 2011), [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/world/europe/11france.html France Arrests Six on Suspicion of Planning to Train With Militants] New York Times. In 2012, he notably ordered the dissolution of a domestic Islamist group, Forsane Alizza or “The Knights of Pride,” saying that it was a terrorist organization training its members “for armed combat.”Scott Sayare (23 January 2012), [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/world/europe/france-government-bans-domestic-islamist-group.html France: Government Bans Domestic Islamist Group] New York Times.

In 2015, Guéant was given a two-year suspended prison sentence, barred from public office for five years, and fined €75,000 for taking €210,000 over two years from a cash fund intended for police investigations and using it to award bonuses to himself and his staff.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/nicolas-sarkozy-aide-sentenced-police-funds|title=Nicolas Sarkozy aide barred from public office for pocketing police funds|last=Chrisafis|first=Angelique|date=13 November 2015|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-05-22|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} In 2019 a French court rejected his appeal, sentencing him to one year in prison.{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/claude-gueant-nicolas-sarkozy-france-ex-chief-of-staff-sentenced-to-a-year-in-prison/|title=Nicolas Sarkozy's ex-chief of staff sentenced to a year in prison|last=Mischke|first=Judith|date=16 January 2019|website=POLITICO|access-date=2019-05-22}}

Guéant has been the target of two investigative judge cases, including one where Sarkozy's 2007 campaign allegedly received donations from the government of Libya, under the reign of Muammar el-Qaddafi.{{cite news|last1=Sayare|first1=Scott|title=French Judges Drop Investigation into Charges Against Sarkozy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/world/europe/french-judges-drop-sarkozy-investigation.html|accessdate=2 January 2015|work=New York Times|date=7 October 2013}}

In October 2021, the Judicial Tribunal of Nanterre announced that Guéant would be tried for "illicit financing" of his legislative campaign of 2012, because of the distribution of a leaflet in his favor by the LR mayor of Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine). On 21 January 2022, Guéant and three co-defendants, writer and one-time Sarkozy advisor Patrick Buisson, former cabinet director Emmanuelle Mignon and former pollster and consultant Pierre Giacometti, were found guilty of polling fraud involving allegations that they misused public money while ordering public opinion polls worth a combined 7.5 million euros ($8.7 million) during the course of Sarkozy's presidency between 2007 and 2012 and was sentenced to eight months in jail.{{cite news|url=https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220121-nicolas-sarkozy-s-former-chief-of-staff-sentenced-to-jail-for-polling-fraud|title=Nicolas Sarkozy's former chief of staff sentenced to jail for polling fraud|publisher=France 24|date=21 January 2022|accessdate=11 February 2022}}{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-court-finds-former-top-sarkozy-aides-guilty-polling-fraud-trial-2022-01-21/|title=French court finds former top Sarkozy aides guilty in polling fraud trial|publisher=Reuters|date=11 February 2022}} He would be released on parole on 9 February after it was determined that he repaid the French treasury 292,000 euros in damages.{{cite news|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/ex-french-interior-minister-to-be-released-from-prison-after-repaying-state-debt/2496512|title=Ex-French interior minister to be released from prison after repaying state debt|first=Shweta|last=Desai|publisher=Anadolu Agency|date=8 February 2022|accessdate=11 February 2022}}{{cite news|url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20220209-sarkozy-ally-claude-gu%C3%A9ant-freed-from-prison-over-slush-fund-affairtitle=Sarkozy ally Claude Guéant freed from prison following slush fund affair|publisher=RFI|date=9 February 2022|accessdate=11 February 2022}}

In 2025, Guéant was accused of taking a €500,000 bribe from Qaddafi and trying to cover it up with the sale of two small Flemish seascapes.Vincent Noce (21 February 2025), [https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/02/21/former-sarkozy-aide-accused-gaddafi-bribe-attempting-conceal-through-art-purchases Former Sarkozy aide accused of taking Gaddafi bribe and attempting to conceal it through art purchases] The Art Newspaper.

Guéant is a fan of American literature, and spent time in Minnesota in his younger days.Le Point http://wn.com/Claude_Gu%C3%A9ant_et_Le_dix-huit_brumaire

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Category:1945 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Vimy

Category:Union for a Popular Movement politicians

Category:The Strong Right

Category:French interior ministers

Category:Prefects of Doubs

Category:Prefects of Ille-et-Vilaine

Category:Sciences Po alumni

Category:École nationale d'administration alumni

Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour

Category:French politicians convicted of crimes

Category:Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 2nd class