The probe comes after a television report on the M6 channel aired on Friday and shows hidden camera footage of two exclusive restaurants full of masked guests.
In the video, a covert journalist enters a private dining club with closed shutters and is greeted by a waiter in white gloves. She is asked on behalf of whom she has been invited and is told, “Once you walk through the door, there is no more Covid.”
He hears the maitre d explain that the menu starts at 160 euros ($ 190) per person. For 490 euros ($ 580), diners can grab champagne while feasting on foie gras with truffle and lobster in ginger sauce.
“We are studying possible allegations of danger and undeclared work,” a Paris prosecutor’s spokesman told CNN on Monday. “We will verify whether the meetings were organized in violation of health regulations and determine who the potential organizers and participants were.”
A “limited closure” went into effect last week, as President Emmanuel Macron warned that the country runs the risk of “losing control” over the pandemic.
The video shows another dinner held in a luxurious setting with large tapestries and golden paintings. The guests are seen giving each other “the bise”, kissing each other on the cheek.
The organizer seems to state, “This week I had dinner at two or three restaurants, the so-called clandestine restaurants, with a certain number of ministers.”
Due to its recognizable decoration, the restaurant was later identified as Palais Vivienne owned by Pierre-Jean Chalençon.
Chalençon’s lawyer issued a statement on Sunday acknowledging that the video’s distorted voice belonged to his client, but that he was joking when he said government ministers had attended dinners.
The scandal has angered many online, with the hashtag #OnVeutLesNoms (We Want The Names) trending on Twitter on Monday.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal told the LCI news channel on Sunday that authorities have been investigating reports of illegal parties for months and that 200 suspects have been identified so far. “They will face heavy punishment,” Attal added.