The MuCEM harassment investigation has accused the suspended president of Marseille’s Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée, Pierre-Olivier Costa, of sexual and moral harassment, violations of public contracting rules, and placing France’s only national museum in Marseille “at risk,” according to findings by French government investigators.
French authorities have also expanded a criminal probe into Costa’s tenure at the museum, focusing on alleged unlawful favoritism in awarding public contracts and hiring at the institution, according to the public prosecutor in Marseille. The museum’s managing director, Véronique Haché, is cited in the same report for related alleged misconduct.
The long-awaited audit by the Inspection générale des affaires culturelles, or IGAC, identifies what it calls numerous ethical breaches by the museum’s leadership. Investigators cited remarks of a sexual, sexist, or degrading nature, inappropriate behavior by the president, intrusions into staff members’ private lives, suspected favoritism in recruitment and pay decisions, and disloyalty to the supervising Ministry of Culture. The report warned that beyond distress among personnel, the institution itself is now at risk.
In late June, Costa and Haché were suspended for four months following the IGAC’s then-undisclosed findings regarding workplace and sexual harassment. The suspensions drew attention given Costa’s previous role as chief of staff to Brigitte Macron before he took over at MuCEM in 2022, and his past advisory position to President Emmanuel Macron.
Concerns had surfaced earlier. In June 2024 staff staged a protest, and 79 MuCEM employees signed an open letter describing a toxic work environment marked by rising pressure and threats.
The IGAC report notes that one former MuCEM employee filed a formal complaint alleging sexual and moral harassment by Costa. Investigators said they uncovered a second, similar case during their inquiry.
According to the report, the first former staff member alleged Costa made repeated explicit propositions on the evening of August 8, 2025, and other employees reported witnessing what they described as inappropriate behavior toward the same person. A second former employee alleged similar conduct, stating that Costa made repeated sexual propositions, which the person said they rebuffed.
Costa has denied wrongdoing. He told investigators he does not speak to people in such terms, and separately said he has full confidence in the judicial inquiry underway in Marseille. He called for transparency and rejected the allegations as extremely serious but unfounded.
The audit also concludes that Costa breached fair competition rules by awarding contracts to individuals and companies and by overspending budget limits on at least two occasions. Among the examples cited were contracts at elevated costs to Bastien Baudoin of the consultancy Tyrex Conseil and to the company Ludoparc for a children’s playground project, which investigators said posed risks of conflicts of interest or criminal offenses.
Investigators described a presidency regarded as untouchable and incompetent, and an inner circle that was likewise insufficiently competent and failed in its role as a safeguard.
Scope of the MuCEM harassment investigation
The IGAC recommended disciplinary proceedings against Costa and the managing director, Haché. The Marseille prosecutor has widened the criminal investigation to include suspected favoritism in procurement and hiring decisions at the museum.
The institution’s troubles come as scrutiny on museum governance and accountability grows internationally, following other recent controversies such as the Messina museum heist. Observers say the MuCEM audit could influence broader debates on oversight of public cultural institutions.