The probe comes after a TV report from channel M6 that aired Friday, which features hidden camera footage of two upscale restaurants full of mask-free diners.
In the video, an undercover journalist enters a private dining club with the shutters closed and is greeted by a waiter wearing white gloves. She is asked who she’s been invited on behalf of and is told, “Once you get through the door, there’s no more Covid.”
The maitre d ‘is heard explaining that the menu starts at 160 euros ($ 190) per person. For 490 euros ($ 580), guests can drink champagne while feasting on foie gras with truffle and langoustine in a ginger sauce.
“We are investigating possible allegations of threats and undeclared work,” a Paris prosecutor spokesman told CNN on Monday. “We will check whether the meetings were organized in violation of hygiene rules and determine who the potential organizers and participants were.”
A further “limited lockdown” took effect last week when President Emmanuel Macron warned the country is at risk of losing control of the pandemic.
The video then shows another dinner party held in a lavish setting with large tapestries and gilded paintings. The guests are seen giving each other “la bise”, kissing each other cheek to cheek.
The organizer seems to be claiming, “This week I had dinner with a certain number of ministers in two or three restaurants, so-called clandestine restaurants.”
Due to its recognizable decor, the restaurant was later identified as Palais Vivienne, owned by Pierre-Jean Chalençon.
Chalençon’s lawyer released a statement on Sunday acknowledging that the distorted voice on the video belonged to his client, but that he was joking when he said government ministers attended the dinners.
The scandal has drawn the ire of many online, with the hashtag #OnVeutLesNoms (We Want The Names) trending on Twitter on Monday.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal told news channel LCI on Sunday that authorities have been investigating reports of illegal parties for months and that 200 suspects have been identified so far. “They will receive a severe punishment,” added Attal.