Nathalie Elimas, a former Secretary of State in the French Ministry of Education, is currently facing legal proceedings in Paris amid allegations of moral harassment against her former staff.

The case revolves around claims made by five former members of her cabinet, including four women and one man, who have emerged as civil parties in the trial.

They accuse Elimas of using humiliating language, issuing contradictory orders, and undermining their professional competence during her tenure from 2020 to 2022.

During the court proceedings, Mathieu Blugeon, Elimas’s former chief of staff, testified about her unpredictable behavior, stating that while she could be pleasant, she would often escalate to angry outbursts.

He described an atmosphere characterized by a punitive system where employees were assigned points as a form of reward or punishment.

In December 2021, the General Inspectorate of Higher Education and Research (IGESR) initiated an administrative investigation into Elimas following internal reports regarding dysfunctions within her cabinet.

The investigation was prompted by concerns about working conditions and relationships among staff members.

Elimas has denied the accusations throughout the investigation.

Patrick Allal, a co-author of the IGESR report, testified regarding the severely deteriorated working environment in Elimas's cabinet.

He indicated that the pressures and conflicts typical within a governmental context were exacerbated in her office, citing examples of contradictory directives and unfounded accusations, which constituted forms of moral harassment.

Elimas, who was appointed to her role in July 2020 and resigned in March 2022, is facing significant legal repercussions, with a potential sentence of up to two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros if convicted.

The trial is set to continue until Thursday.