In the context of the increasing influence of consultancy firms, Sherpa is joining as a civil party the judicial investigation on McKinsey for the potential influence peddling of a public servant, embezzlement of public funds, favouritism and concealment of favouritism.
On March 16, 2022, the report of the Senate inquiry commission on the increasing influence of private consultancy firms on public policies established that past contracts between the State and several firms had “more than doubled” between 2018 and 2021.
McKinsey: its widespread influence on public policies
In November 2022, two investigations were opened by the French National Prosecutor’s Office: one on the conditions of intervention of consultancy firms in the 2017 and 2022 presidential campaigns, and another on the acquisition of public contracts by consultancy firms.
During the period of 2018 to 2021 only, McKinsey was granted around forty missions by the government or other state agencies, for a grand total of between 28 to 50 million euros, working on retirement, housing subsidies, unemployment benefits or the future of the career of schoolteacher. These missions resulted in some excesses, such as a study that cost half a million euros in the interest of a workshop, which to this day has not happened.
Additionally, around twenty McKinsey consultants conducted several pro bono services for Emmanuel Macron, then a presidential candidate, without being reported in the campaign accounts of the candidate. The investigators suspect that the acquisition of certain contracts to McKinsey afterward were in return for these services.
Ending predatory practices
The influence exerted on public policies by private consultancy firms in situations of conflict of interest contributes to the capture of public interest by and for powerful economic actors.
As such, the McKinsey case is emblematic of the encroachment of the private, lucrative sector on the functions and roles of the State. It is also emblematic of the opacity surrounding these practices, notably through the system of tax rulings (2) that allowed McKinsey, between 2002 and 2012, to evade paying taxes almost entirely.
Sherpa will continue to shine a light on the illegitimate influence of McKinsey on public policies while simultaneously advocating for appropriate legislative initiative (3) to mitigate this global phenomenon.
For more information: presse@asso-sherpa.org
