The president of the France-Qatar friendship group, Christophe Naegelen, has come under scrutiny for failing to declare two trips to Qatar related to the Football World Cup in December 2022.

Additionally, he delayed reporting a trip to the Qatar Formula 1 Grand Prix in October. Naegelen, a 39-year-old MP affiliated with the LIOT group of miscellaneous independents since 2017, and the president of the France-Qatar friendship group at the Assemblée Nationale since 2022, attended the World Cup quarter-finals and final in Qatar in December 2022.

Le Monde revealed that he was also present at the beginning of October for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, participating in practice sessions and witnessing the race at the Losail circuit.

Upon Le Monde's inquiry on November 8, Naegelen had not officially declared these trips and benefits in the Assemblée Nationale's public register of invitations and trips accepted by MPs. Subsequently, after discussions with Le Monde, he confirmed that he had now made the necessary declarations. The MP's three declarations were published on Thursday, November 9, with Naegelen acknowledging that two of them were submitted "belatedly." The delay in reporting raises questions about transparency and accountability regarding sponsored travels for public officials. Photo by G.Garitan, Wikimedia commons.