Financial and anti-corruption investigators from the Paris police raided the Élysée Palace (the official residence and office of the French president) on Tuesday morning in connection with a probe into suspected favouritism in government contract awards. Authorities are examining why Shortcut Events, a private events firm, was repeatedly selected over more than two decades to organise high-profile ceremonies, including the inductions of notable French figures into the Panthéon (Paris's national mausoleum honouring the country's most distinguished citizens, such as members of the French Resistance). The case raises questions about procurement practices at the heart of the French state.