Summary Sciences Po was dogged by repeated fiscal mismanagement under its last head, a report Thursday.
The institution formally known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies suffered greatly during the tenure of its last director, the charismatic Richard Descoings, who was found dead of heart failure in a New York hotel in April, it said.
"The maze of responsibilities is complex," said Didier Migaud, the head of the Cour des Comptes, while presenting the report, which however did not pinpoint blame on any individual or official.
Migaud said the Court of Budget and Financial Discipline (CDBF) would pursue the probe.
The audit court is empowered to investigate possible misuse of public money, which accounts for half of Science s Po s funding, but the CDBF can additionally impose fines.
Descoings, who headed Sciences Po from 1996 to his death, opened six campuses outside Paris, raised tuition fees, introduced courses taught in English and reserved places for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The report cited anomalies in amounts paid to academics in relation to the hours they put in, "toxic" loans related to real estate, the "abusive use of credit cards" and "weak internal and external controls".
It also said the director s salary was far too high and not "transparent." In 2010, Descoings annual salary stood at 537,247 euros (about $692,000).
Sciences Po s alumni includes French President Francois Hollandedecessors Jacq as well as his preues Chirac and Francois Mitterrand and former United Nations secretary general Boutros Boutros-Ghali.
Following the report, Higher Education Minister Genevieve Fioraso deferred the naming of a successor to Descoings.
