Agnès Chauveau, the director general of the National Institute of Audiovisual (INA), was appointed acting president after the suspension of Laurent Vallet, arrested at the end of July for a cocaine purchase, according to a decree published on Friday in the Official Journal.
This decree is signed by the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, who has the supervision of the INA. Rachida Dati announced Tuesday to suspend Laurent Vallet “while waiting for more information”, by saying that he “read” of his questioning “by the press”.
Having read by the press of the questioning of Laurent Vallet, president of the INA, in a case of purchase of narcotics, I decided for the serenity of the institution to immediately suspend him from his functions while waiting for more information.
– RACHADA DATA ن (@AmetiraTa) August 12, 2025
A media specialist
Holder of a doctorate obtained in Sciences Po and specialist in the media, Agnès Chauveau has been working since 2015 at INA since 2015, whose mission is to archive the images and sounds of television and radio and to enhance these funds. She has been delegated general manager since 2021.
Viewers know her face: she intervenes in the Rembob’ina program presented by Patrick Cohen on the LCP channel, which returns to great moments in recent history by drawing from the INA TV archives.
In 2005, she participated in the creation of the Sciences Po Journalism School of which she held the function of executive director until 2014.
She had previously held the function of project manager with the president of the BNF, carried out several research projects and contributed to numerous publications on the media.
Agnès Chauveau collaborated on France Culture, notably on the program “Les Returns du Dimanche” then in “Soft Power”, and contributed to documentaries for the Channel History and the Fifth.
An audience in early September for the former president
On Tuesday, judicial and police sources told AFP that Laurent Vallet had been arrested on July 29 at his Parisian home by the police after being delivered cocaine, confirming information of current values.
In a statement, the former president of INA had said “to take note” of this suspension, pronounced according to him “for the hearing to which (he is) summoned in early September to the Paris court for a therapeutic injunction”.
Laurent Vallet, 55, was renewed in May for a third five -year term at the head of the INA, on the proposal of Rachida Dati. He has occupied the presidency since May 2015, when he succeeded Agnès Saal.
The INA is concerned by the public audiovisual reform project carried out by the Minister of Culture. He plans to create a holding company, France Médias, which would also oversee France Télévisions and Radio France.
