Cité du design Suspends Secretary General Jean-Yves Gauchier Amid Audit of Public Contracts
On 21 September 2026, Jean-Yves Gauchier, who has served as the secretary general of the Cité du design in Saint-Étienne since 2012, was suspended after a legal audit of public contracts spanning 2018 to 2022. This audit was prompted by Yannis Bekhti, the president of EPCC Cité du design-Ésadse since June 2026. Concerns were raised regarding contracts issued during Gauchier's leadership and that of former secretary of state Thierry Mandon. Saint-Étienne's mayor, Régis Juanico, mentioned that Gauchier recognized certain problems that could potentially result in legal repercussions. This audit follows a financial crisis in 2022 and Mandon's conviction for fraud in 2024. An investigation into internal matters at the École supérieure d'art et design is also underway, with Séverine Tardy acting as interim secretary general.
Key facts
- Jean-Yves Gauchier was suspended on 21 September 2026 as a precautionary measure from his role as secretary general of the Cité du design in Saint-Étienne.
- The suspension follows a legal audit of public contracts awarded between 2018 and 2022, initiated by new president Yannis Bekhti.
- About fifty people were interviewed and numerous documents analyzed during the review launched before summer 2026.
- Saint-Étienne mayor Régis Juanico said Gauchier had 'acknowledged a certain number of things' during hearings.
- The audit revives scrutiny of the 2018–2022 period when Thierry Mandon directed the institution.
- In November 2024, Thierry Mandon was convicted of fraud, misuse of corporate assets, forgery, and attempted embezzlement of public funds, receiving a twelve-month suspended sentence, €22,000 fine, and permanent ban on directing public institutions.
- The 2022 financial crisis at the Cité du design involved a €1.4 million deficit and an equivalent exceptional subsidy from Saint-Étienne Métropole.
- A separate administrative inquiry is examining a 'degraded social climate' and 'inappropriate individual behaviors' at the École supérieure d'art et design.
- Séverine Tardy, deputy director general of Saint-Étienne Métropole, has been appointed interim secretary general.
Entities
Artists
- Jean-Yves Gauchier
- Thierry Mandon
- Yannis Bekhti
- Régis Juanico
- Marc Chassaubéné
- Séverine Tardy
Institutions
- Cité du design
- EPCC Cité du design-Ésadse
- École supérieure d'art et design
- Saint-Étienne Métropole
- Chambre régionale des comptes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- LeJournaldesArts.fr
- tribunal correctionnel de Saint-Étienne
Locations
- Saint-Étienne
- France
- Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- China