ISTANBUL

The mayor of the French city of Lyon was released Wednesday after being taken into police custody as part of an investigation into the embezzlement of public funds, the Journal du Dimanche newspaper reported.

Gregory Doucet, a member of the Greens party, was questioned by the Financial Crimes Office.

"The mayor of Lyon is being questioned as a representative of the local authority in a standard stage of the investigation, in order to explain how the city operates and to defend the legality of the decisions taken," the municipality explained, according to BFM TV.

The Lyon Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation in February last year under an article relating to "embezzlement of public funds by persons vested with public authority."

The case relates to the alleged illegal hiring of 24 special advisors, believed to be acting as cabinet staff and exceeding the legal limit of 12 staff and potentially constituting public fund misappropriation between 2016 and 2023.

The Regional Chamber of Accounts (CRC) targeted the Lyon city administration last September with a report questioning the role of the 24 staff.

“These special advisors…were hired with the involvement of deputy mayors and often outside the legal framework. They performed duties akin to those of mayoral cabinet staff, rather than administrative activities,” said a CRC report.