What led Le Point to publish an apology and unpublish its article on the Garrido-Corbière couple

Extremely rare in the French press. The weekly Le Point unpublished Thursday at midday its investigation into the supposed employment of an undocumented cleaning lady by the couple of deputies Raquel Garrido and Alexis Corbière. The magazine’s director, Etienne Gernelle, informed readers in a press release that “additional checks” carried out by the newspaperrevealed that errors and breaches of caution had been made” by the journalist Aziz Zemouri, author of the article. The couple have also announced that they are filing a complaint against the newspaper for “public defamation” and against X for “forgery and use of forgery” and “identity theft“, as confirmed by their lawyer Xavier Sauvignet to France Inter.

Le Point apologizes to the couple and its readers

In a new article published on the Point website and entitled “To our readers – Why we removed a paper concerning Raquel Garrido and Alexis Corbière“, the director of the magazine, Etienne Gernelle, explains that following the very firm denial of the interested parties and “additional checks“, the newspaper withdraws its investigation into the illegal employment of a supposed “good at everything“by the two deputies, to whom they would have”promised papers in the event of the election of Jean-Luc Mélenchon as President of the Republic or if he becomes Prime Minister“.

Etienne Gernelle, who is also director of publication and therefore legally responsible, indicates that the newspaper continues “the investigation, to understand what happened” and presents its “flat and sincere apologies to Raquel Garrido and Alexis Corbière“, as well as to its “readersThe Point Editors’ Society issued a statement, saying “eagerly awaiting the conclusions of the investigation currently underway“. She describes a redaction “deeply affected by the breach of basic rules of journalistic ethics“.

In this article, published at midday this Wednesday, June 22 with the mention “EXCLUSIVE”, the journalist Aziz Zemouri evoked the situation of this woman “thirty-something, from Algiers“, which would have worked”day and night both at the home of the two parliamentarians in Bagnolet but also in a Parisian accommodation“where their children would have been”supported in order to be educated in the capital“. He quoted in particular two exchanges of SMS in which Raquel Garrido would have written to this woman, who asked to be paid: “We put a roof over your head, we make you work so either you’re grateful or I’m taking someone else now stop“.

The journalist advances evidence on Twitter, Internet users reveal inconsistencies

Very quickly, the couple denies all the facts put forward in a communicated, posted on Twitter. The affair caused a reaction, and to support his investigation, Aziz Zemouri published on the social network alleged SMS exchanges with the one who would be the housekeeper. Many Internet users immediately note inconsistencies: the exchanges contain many spelling errors, and the photo of the contact “Garrido R” is not the same on the two screenshots.

The journalist Benjamin Sire, in particular a columnist for the Express and neighbor of the Garrido-Corbière couple, written shortly after : “I cannot be suspected of collusion with LFI/NUPES. But I know Alexis Corbiere and Raquel Garrido in terms of neighborhood and know that they no longer have this accommodation in Paris for a lease and that their children are not educated there. If the rest of the paper is that crap…“

Mediapart and Liberation bring new elements

In two articles published this early Thursday afternoon, online media Mediapart and Check news (Liberation) bring to light new elements which invalidate the version of Aziz Zemouri. We learn in particular in the first that the journalist from Le Point, after having said the opposite, admits never “met the housekeeper” neither “spoken to intimates‘” of it, as he put forward in his article. On the other hand, he told Mediapart that he had questioned “onlookers who would have confirmed seeing the cleaning lady regularly“, these lying”a 30-minute walk from the couple’s former apartment“, in Paris.

Regarding this Parisian apartment in front of which Aziz Zemouri says he went, a social landlord confirmed to Mediapart that the Garrido-Corbière couple had not lived there since 2017. The two media also quickly revealed that, contrary to what was advanced the Point survey, only one of the three children, the youngest, is still in school, and this, in Bagnolet. Checknews consulted school report cards and class photos. The deputies provided SMS to Mediapart proving that it is the child’s grandmother who regularly picks her up after school.

Finally, Raquel Garrido confirmed having legally employed housekeepers “each time with people who have papers, and of course with the related Urssaf declarations”, which the two media have been confirmed. Regarding the “source” advanced by the journalist Aziz Zemouri, he revealed his identity and his photo to Checknews, which showed it to Raquel Garrido. This one says “never having seen this person and not knowing his name“.

Garrido and Corbière demand the dismissal of Zemouri

This Thursday afternoon, Raquel Garrido and Alexis Corbière spoke again on Twitter, claiming to have taken note of the director’s press release, and his “excuses“. However, they ask “the immediate dismissal of Aziz Zemouri“Raquel Garrido.”don’t forgive him for attacking our children. My family has suffered too much. The harm done is indelible. I thank the citizens and journalists who helped to dismantle the slander“, she writes. “It can’t stop there,” adds her spouse Alexis Corbière. “The whole profession [journalistique] is concerned. It is the honor of the profession that is at stake and the trust that citizens place in the press. Sanctions must be imposed.”