Head of INA, Laurent Vallet, steps down following cocaine purchase admission
Laurent Vallet, the long-serving president of the National Audiovisual Institute (INA), announced his resignation on August 29th, following a series of events related to a cocaine purchase incident and a subsequent therapeutic injunction.
The events unfolded at the end of July when Vallet was questioned at his Paris home in connection with a cocaine purchase. The therapeutic injunction, which he complied with on Friday, is believed to be related to this incident.
The French Observatory on Drugs reported that in the year 2023, approximately 1.1 million French citizens declared having consumed cocaine. This figure is almost double the number of cocaine consumers in 2017.
Vallet had been president of the INA since May 2015, having previously held a senior executive position at the French Ministry of Culture with a background in cultural administration and public service. His predecessor at the INA was Agnès Saal, who resigned in 2014 at the request of the then Minister of Culture, Fleur Pellerin, due to revelations of excessive taxi expenses.
Rachida Dati, the current Minister of Culture, announced Vallet's suspension on Twitter at the beginning of August. Since then, the INA has been led by Agnès Chauveau on an interim basis. Chauveau, a former director of Sciences Po's journalism school, has been acting head of the INA since Vallet's suspension.
As of the time of this article, no successor for Vallet has been named. The hearing at the Paris Judicial Court, scheduled for the beginning of September, will provide further information regarding the case. The hearing is in relation to the therapeutic injunction.
The National Audiovisual Institute, established in 1974, is a public establishment responsible for preserving and distributing audiovisual archives in France. Its current suspension and the ongoing investigation surrounding Vallet have raised questions about the future of the institution and its leadership.
