Bétharram Scandal: François Bayrou’s Daughter Reveals She Was a Victim of Abuse — Prime Minister “Deeply Shaken”

The testimony of Hélène Perlant, daughter of Prime Minister François Bayrou, has sent shockwaves through France. In an interview published on Tuesday, April 22, by Paris Match, she revealed that she was physically abused in the 1980s during a summer camp organized by a Catholic congregation affiliated with the Notre-Dame de Bétharram school in Béarn. She was 14 at the time. Perlant explained that she had never shared this with her father, perhaps due to an unconscious desire to protect him: “Maybe I wanted to shield him, unconsciously, from the political blows he was already taking locally.”

A Personal Shock for François Bayrou

Speaking to the press on Wednesday, April 23, during a visit to Isère, the Prime Minister admitted to being “stunned and devastated” by his daughter’s revelations, which he said he learned about only the day before publication. “As a father, it pierces my heart. It’s almost unbearable,” he said. However, he emphasized that this was not about his personal story: “This is not a personal matter. The heart of this case lies with the victims — the people whose lives were shattered for decades. They are the ones I refuse to let go of.”

Bayrou’s aides confirmed that he had no knowledge of his daughter’s involvement in the upcoming book Le Silence de Bétharram, set to be released Thursday. Written by Alain Esquerre, spokesperson for the victims’ collective, the book gathers numerous accounts of former students who suffered physical and sexual abuse. Around 200 complaints have reportedly been filed — though most are believed to be time-barred.

An Upcoming Hearing and a Highly Charged Inquiry

François Bayrou, who is also the mayor of Pau, is scheduled to appear before a parliamentary commission on May 14, which was created in response to the scandal. His inner circle denounces what they see as politically motivated attacks: “They’re targeting Bayrou. He hasn’t hidden anything.”

In previous hearings, some investigators alleged that Bayrou may have tried to exert influence over past judicial proceedings — a claim the Prime Minister strongly denies. “Never — not once in my life, in all my political career — have I intervened in a legal case,” he stated.

As the inquiry continues, attention now turns to both the justice system and the Church, both accused of long-standing silence. For the victims, the goal is clear: to shift the burden of shame onto those who remained silent for too long.