Global Scandal: UAE Launches Smear Campaign Against French MP Critical of Abu Dhabi

In one of the most unusual political and media cases in France in recent years, a new scandal has erupted, shaking both parliamentary and journalistic circles. On 20 October 2025, the French left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) issued an official statement exposing a coordinated conspiracy involving the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the French financial intelligence unit TRACFIN against one of its prominent MPs, Carlos Martens Bilongo. This was no misunderstanding or accidental leak, but a deliberate operation in which French state tools were weaponised in service of the UAE regime’s agenda—to punish an elected official who had publicly criticised Abu Dhabi’s policies.

The case, as reported by journalist Aline Robert on L’Informé, goes beyond typical political disagreements. It strikes at the core of the relationship between French democracy and the corrupt financial influence of the UAE, which has reached into the corridors of European intelligence agencies. When a Western state institution is used to pressure on behalf of an authoritarian regime, this is more than an administrative error—it signals a deep ethical fracture at the heart of governance.

From Leak to State-Level Scandal

The saga began on 11 May 2023, the day Bilongo released his controversial book Noir Français (Black Frenchman), addressing identity and racism in France through a critical lens. Within hours, BFM TV broadcast a breaking report alleging that the MP was under investigation for money laundering, tax fraud, and misuse of €200,000 in public funds. The news exploded across French media and was quickly picked up by almost every outlet. Right-wing papers used it to portray LFI as a symbol of “leftist corruption” disguised as social justice.

Bilongo had no real opportunity to defend himself, as the smear campaign operated at full speed. Some media even added false details—secret accounts, shadowy finances, and suspicions tied to charitable organisations. Unknown to the public, all these claims were based on a fabricated report from TRACFIN—the French anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing agency.

By March 2025, after two years of investigations, the Nanterre public prosecutor closed the case entirely, confirming no evidence of wrongdoing. Bilongo wasn’t guilty—he was a victim.

Investigations revealed that the triggering report was riddled with errors and fabrications, lacking any solid legal foundation. An internal finance ministry probe revealed that the complaint had been influenced—if not directly ordered—by Emirati officials irritated by Bilongo’s criticism of UAE arms deals and its regional role.

That same day, Aline Robert confirmed that a TRACFIN delegation had taken a mysterious trip to Dubai in 2023, where they met Emirati officials alongside the French agency’s director Guillaume Valette-Valla. This visit, not recorded in official government logs, raised serious concerns about covert cooperation, especially as it followed a parliamentary session in which Bilongo criticised UAE arms exports.

Intelligence Under Foreign Influence

TRACFIN, short for Traitement du Renseignement et Action contre les Circuits FINanciers clandestins, is the financial intelligence unit under the French Economy and Finance Ministry. It is supposed to be apolitical and purely technical. However, the investigation placed the agency at the centre of one of the most serious cases of political weaponisation of state institutions in recent French history.

The affair raises terrifying questions: how can French state bodies be manipulated by foreign powers? Can security cooperation agreements open the door to external control?

It appears that behind-the-scenes cooperation between UAE authorities and French internal actors has long existed under the guise of counter-terrorism. These supposedly benign partnerships have quietly evolved into vehicles for Emirati influence in Europe. What made Bilongo a special target is his involvement in sensitive committees—including the environmental affairs committee and his role as a co-rapporteur on COP27 and COP28—both of high strategic interest to the UAE.

His outspoken criticism of Abu Dhabi’s environmental and human rights record likely triggered this retaliatory campaign, aimed at destroying his political credibility through professional-sounding but politically devastating accusations.

Expanding Emirati Influence in Europe

This scandal is not an isolated incident. For over a decade, the UAE has been building a dual strategy of soft and hard influence in Europe, blending money, media, lobbying, and advanced intelligence tools.

In 2021, Pegasus Project leaks revealed that the UAE was a major user of the Israeli spyware, allegedly targeting European journalists and politicians. French authorities later confirmed some journalists’ phones had been compromised, pointing fingers at Abu Dhabi.

In Brussels, the “Qatargate” bribery scandal implicated several MEPs in receiving funds from Gulf states. While Qatar made headlines, multiple reports hinted at the UAE’s role in funding counter-campaigns against its regional rivals—using disinformation and smear tactics to attack critics in both the Gulf and Europe.

What’s happening in France now is merely the latest phase of this strategy. UAE influence has infiltrated beyond think tanks and PR firms—it now touches security and intelligence institutions. Through strong defence and energy ties, Abu Dhabi has become an outsized actor on the French stage, capable of steering even sovereign decisions. France’s largest weapons buyer in the Middle East is also one of its top investors in real estate and energy.

French Media: Complicit or Complacent?

French media outlets didn’t just report this story—they amplified the smear. BFM TV, which first broke the “investigation”, repeated TRACFIN’s claims without verification. It gave the floor to “anti-corruption” experts who echoed the same narrative. Bilongo wasn’t given space to speak or provide documents to defend himself. His media trial was held live on air.

Two years later, when prosecutors dropped the charges and confirmed Bilongo’s innocence, those same outlets barely covered the development. The TV channels gave it a few seconds. Right-wing papers buried it in footnotes. LFI’s statement accused certain media of forming a “shadow alliance” with political capital linked to authoritarian regimes.

This biased media coverage magnified the smear’s effect. Bilongo faced online harassment, racist abuse, and attacks on his family. “They assassinated my reputation and called me a traitor and a thief, without ever asking me for the truth,” he later said.

His case exposed the vulnerability of the French press to targeted leaks from state bodies, and how quickly a politician can be destroyed with a “credible” but false narrative.

Aftermath: Sovereignty and Accountability

LFI’s statement wasn’t just a defence of one MP—it was a political cry for democratic accountability. The party demanded an independent parliamentary inquiry into TRACFIN’s actions, disclosure of the Dubai trip, and prosecution of those responsible for the fabricated report. Bilongo also plans to file defamation and false reporting lawsuits.

At the heart of this case lies a fundamental question: can a state agency act on the directives of a foreign power? And if so, how fragile is France’s national sovereignty in the face of financial and political pressure?

This scandal forces France to look in the mirror. A country that prides itself on liberty and human rights now finds itself explaining how a foreign dictatorship could manipulate its institutions to target an elected official. In every sense, this is a full-blown state scandal: a French agency acting against its own citizen to serve a foreign regime.

The Bilongo affair reflects a deeper crisis in Western democracies—where the lines between partnership and control, between cooperation and subversion, have never been blurrier. The UAE, once seen as a neutral trade partner, now stands accused of spying, disinformation, and political interference across Europe. Yet Western governments remain silent in the name of economic ties.

Bilongo may be the first victim of this system—but if silence continues, he won’t be the last.