A scathing report by French government investigators accuses Pierre-Olivier Costa, the recently suspended president of Marseille’s Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM), of sexual and moral harassment, breaching rules for granting public contracts, and putting the southern French city’s only national museum “at risk,” according to a Le Monde investigation.
A front-page scoop published Friday evening in France also reveals that Marseille’s public prosecutor has expanded an ongoing criminal investigation into Costa’s time as president of Marseille’s top museum, notably amid allegations that he unlawfully used preferential treatment to award contracts and hire at the public institution. The museum’s managing director, Véronique Haché, is also named in the report for related, alleged misconduct.
