Former Nice mayor Christian Estrosi faces probe over alleged public fund misuse

Nice’s judicial authorities have initiated a probe into former mayor Christian Estrosi after his successor, Eric Ciotti, reported that a portion of Estrosi’s expense reimbursements were not backed by receipts. The complaint, filed under the article governing mayoral representation costs, was transmitted at the end of July and led to the opening of the investigation in late August, according to prosecutor Damien Martinelli.

The matter echoes a prior grievance lodged by the NGO Transparence citoyenne, which pointed out reimbursements lacking documentation. Estrosi is already subject to several other inquiries, including those concerning the post-storm reconstruction after Alex, the security review of the Promenade des Anglais following the 2016 truck attack, and a summer-2025 detention related to event organization and Formula 1 race management. He has not been placed under formal indictment in any of these cases.