Who is Laurent Vallet, the INA president suspended from his duties by Rachida Dati?

After ten years at the helm of the National Audiovisual Institute, it looks like the endgame for Laurent Vallet. The 55-year-old CEO was suspended from his duties on Tuesday, August 12, by the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati. Earlier in the day, the far-right magazine Valeurs actuelles revealed that he had been arrested at his home on July 29 by police for having purchased €600 worth of cocaine.

"Having learned through the press that Laurent Vallet has been implicated […] in a drug purchase case, I have decided, for the sake of the institution's peace of mind, to immediately suspend him from his duties pending further information," Rachida Dati announced on the social network X. In a statement sent by the INA, Laurent Vallet said he "acknowledged" this decision, which is "fully respectful of the institution" he has headed since 2015. He sent a similar message to the 950 people employed by the INA, which is responsible for archiving television and radio and promoting these collections.

Reappointed in his functions in May by the Council of Ministers on