In Saint-Etienne, the mayor clings to his chair

“Ethical misconduct”, “lost honor”, “broken trust”… The opposition demanded the resignation of the mayor of Saint-Etienne on all tones, during the municipal council, Monday, September 26th. “If you like Saint-Etienne, you must give up all of your municipal and metropolitan executive responsibilities, since you have lost the moral authority to preside over our debates. Any other attitude would be an affront”declares Pierrick Courbon (Socialist Party, PS), from the opening of the overheated session.

For the three opposition groups, socialist, communist and ecologist, Gaël Perdriau (Les Républicains, LR) is no longer legitimate to exercise his functions, after the successive revelations of Mediapart on the blackmail exercised for many years on Gilles Artigues, his third deputy (Union of Democrats and Independents, UDI). A judicial investigation is underway to determine the conditions for recording and using an intimate video, shot without the knowledge of the elected official, in the company of an escort boy recruited for the occasion. The investigation also relates to subsidies which could have been diverted to remunerate the operation.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In Saint-Etienne, the shock wave of the Perdriau affair

For the opposition, the scandal reveals “management by fear”, and asks about the role of Pierre Gauttieri, suspected of an active part in the blackmail. The mayor’s chief of staff was spotted in the hallways on city council day, as he is officially dismissed from his post. His lingering presence inside City Hall adds to the confusion. Standing, frozen in front of his microphone, the mayor of Saint-Etienne gives the impression of a captain wiping the breaking waves, pitching dangerously, without wanting to let go of the helm.

No sympathy for Gilles Artigues

If he acted his temporary withdrawal of the presidency of the metropolisunder pressure from several mayors in the region, and if he announced the end of his formal representations at the municipal level, Gaël Perdriau clings to his chair as mayor. “The municipal team is at work. The hundred deliberations on the agenda are the proof if some doubted it”he asks, opening the board, while feeling compelled to respond to suspicions.

“I am not at the initiative of such an enterprise. I have never had or seen this video. I have never used it against the interests of Gilles Artigues, whom I have always defended and supported since 2012. I have never diverted the slightest euro from a community. This skillfully told story aims to destroy me, to unite forces that I may have thwarted., defends Gilles Perdriau. What strengths? The aedile makes mysteries. “Evidence has been given to justice, which shows that the case is infinitely more complex than the incriminating version and without contradiction conveyed by a certain press”he distills, taking refuge behind the secrecy of the instruction not to say more.

You have 42.75% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.