In the Alexis Kohler case, the prosecutor has asked for a non-prosecution decision in favor of the former chief of staff of the Elysée, who was under investigation for alleged illegal interest-taking. This means the case could be closed if the investigating judge agrees with the request. If not, Kohler, 53, could face trial. The National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) confirmed to AFP on September 23 that a non-prosecution decision was requested for Kohler, a former close aide to President Emmanuel Macron, in the investigation into potential conflicts of interest related to his family ties with the shipping company MSC. Kohler has been under investigation since 2022 and is currently a deputy general director at Société générale. He previously served as Macron’s cabinet director at the Ministry of Economy and as Elysée chief of staff from 2017 to 2025. The judicial investigation centers on allegations that Kohler, as a high-ranking official, participated in decisions involving MSC, a Franco-Italian group controlled by the Aponte family, who are related to his mother. Kohler’s defense argues that he remained separate from any decisions involving MSC and that he informed his superiors about these family ties "well beyond his ethical obligations." They also claim that no one was advantaged by his actions and that there is no evidence he personally benefited financially. These claims were reiterated in a statement from his legal team at the end of 2024. Emmanuel Macron has publicly expressed confidence in Kohler, even sending a "personal note" to the National Financial Prosecutor's Office in mid-2019. In this note, Macron stated that Kohler had not intervened in MSC-related cases while serving as his cabinet director at Bercy. This note sparked significant controversy. The anticorruption group Anticor had already filed a complaint in 2018 after Mediapart published reports suggesting a conflict of interest. Anticor became a civil party in the case in 2020, leading to the opening of a judicial investigation. Jean-Baptiste Soufron, representing Anticor, criticized the prosecutor's stance, stating that from the beginning of the case, the prosecutor has resisted the idea of allowing an independent judge or court to be fully informed. This case has drawn attention not only for its legal implications but also for the potential involvement of the president himself, raising questions about transparency and accountability in high-level government operations.