{"id":147153,"date":"2025-06-06T19:12:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T19:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/a-lawsuit-filed-against-gael-perdriau-for-extortion-and-misappropriation-of-public-funds\/"},"modified":"2025-06-06T19:12:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T19:12:45","slug":"a-lawsuit-filed-against-gael-perdriau-for-extortion-and-misappropriation-of-public-funds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/a-lawsuit-filed-against-gael-perdriau-for-extortion-and-misappropriation-of-public-funds\/","title":{"rendered":"A lawsuit filed against Ga\u00ebl Perdriau for &#8220;extortion&#8221; and &#8220;misappropriation of public funds.&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"\">\n<figure class=\"article__media\">\n        <picture class=\"article__media\"><source   alt=\"Le maire de Saint-Etienne, Ga\u00ebl Perdriau, le 29 janvier 2024, \u00e0 l\u2019h\u00f4tel de ville de Saint-Etienne.\" width=\"664\" height=\"443\"><\/source>\n        <\/picture>\n        <noscript><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/659970a_ftp-import-images-1-wttw64gulj6q-5117763-01-06.jpg\" alt=\"Le maire de Saint-Etienne, Ga\u00ebl Perdriau, le 29 janvier 2024, \u00e0 l\u2019h\u00f4tel de ville de Saint-Etienne.\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/noscript><figcaption class=\"article__legend\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Le maire de Saint-Etienne, Ga\u00ebl Perdriau, le 29 janvier 2024, \u00e0 l\u2019h\u00f4tel de ville de Saint-Etienne. <span class=\"article__credit\" aria-hidden=\"true\">JEFF PACHOUD \/ AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">Recent developments have brought the mayor of Saint-Etienne, \u00a0Ga\u00ebl Perdriau\u00a0, into the spotlight, with a judicial order for a trial to be held in connection with a scandal involving blackmail associated with an intimate video of a former deputy. This trial is set to take place in late September in Lyon, as announced by \u00a0Thierry Dran\u00a0, the public prosecutor of Lyon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">Perdriau faces serious charges including \u00a0\u201cblackmail, misappropriation, misuse of public funds by a public authority holder, and participation in an association of wrongdoers.\u201d\u00a0 Convictions for such crimes can lead to sentences of at least five years in prison, according to Dran. The trial is slated for September 22-26, pending any potential appeals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">The foundation of this case revolves around a video featuring \u00a0Gilles Artigues\u00a0, a former centrist deputy and political rival of Perdriau, being massaged by an escort in a hotel room in Paris in January 2015. Authorities suspect that Perdriau demanded \u00a0\u201cpolitical loyalty\u201d\u00a0 and \u00a0\u201celectoral arbitration\u201d\u00a0 from Artigues in exchange for not disclosing this compromising video, as highlighted by legal documents obtained by AFP.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__sub-title\">Ga\u00ebl Perdriau judged alongside three former aides<\/h2>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">Since being \u00a0excluded from the Les R\u00e9publicains party\u00a0 and criticized by opposition leaders, Perdriau has consistently claimed his innocence while refusing to resign from office. Still, he has taken a step back from his responsibilities in the metropolitan area but has not ruled out running for the \u00a02026 municipal elections\u00a0. On Friday, when contacted by AFP, he declined to comment, and his lawyers were not immediately available.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">In their order for trial, investigating magistrates have requested that Perdriau be tried alongside three former associates accused of orchestrating the video\u2019s filming. These include his former chief of staff, \u00a0Pierre Gauttieri\u00a0, former deputy in charge of education, \u00a0Samy Kefi-J\u00e9r\u00f4me\u00a0, and the ex-partner of Kefi-J\u00e9r\u00f4me, \u00a0Gilles Rossary-Lenglet\u00a0, who disclosed the scandal to *Mediapart* in 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">In contrast to the prosecutor&#8217;s recommendations, investigating judges have also ordered the indictment of two couples leading St. Etienne associations for allegedly compensating the authors of the videotape through fictitious services funded by the city, thereby facing charges of \u00a0\u201cbreach of trust.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__sub-title\">\u201cA toxic power that tarnishes our city\u2019s image\u201d<\/h2>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\"><em>\u201cI am pleased that the trial will take place in 2025\u2026 and that all protagonists, including association representatives, will be brought before a court,\u201d<\/em> Rossary-Lenglet shared with AFP. <em>\u201cEven though I know I will be convicted, I am happy because truth will prevail in the end,\u201d<\/em> declared the individual who identifies as a \u00a0\u201cwhistleblower.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">The investigation has a second component. During the inquiry, Rossary-Lenglet provided a 2015 video referencing a blackmail scheme aimed at former Saint-Etienne mayor \u00a0Michel Thiolli\u00e8re\u00a0 (UMP-rad, served from 1994 to 2008). The alleged plot involved entangling the former mayor with a minor prostitute, although this scheme was ultimately abandoned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">According to \u00a0Andr\u00e9 Buffard\u00a0, the attorney representing the two victims, the announcement of a trial signifies <em>\u201crelief\u201d<\/em> for Gilles Artigues, who is currently the diocesan director of Catholic education in Tarn. As for Michel Thiolli\u00e8re, he is <em>\u201chappy to learn that the facts concerning him\u2026 will also be judged,\u201d<\/em> Buffard added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">Despite his denials, Perdriau has witnessed a gradual erosion of support. At the end of May, various centrist and right-wing leaders expressed concerns about \u00a0\u201ca toxic power that tarnishes the image of our city and paralyzes its economy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">Following the announcement of the trial, multiple politicians from both right and left hailed the decision. <em>\u201cIt\u2019s very good that justice will rule before the start of the municipal campaign, allowing it to proceed on clearer foundations,\u201d<\/em> stated \u00a0Nicole Peycelon\u00a0, an LR elected official who defected from the majority. The elections will occur <em>\u201cin a calmer atmosphere, as the residents of Saint-Etienne will know what to expect,\u201d<\/em> added environmentalist \u00a0Olivier Longeon\u00a0.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph\">This is seen as \u00a0\u201cgood news for Saint-Etienne,\u201d\u00a0 where it is believed that Perdriau will no longer be able to shield himself behind the presumption of innocence to undermine the interests of the city and its residents, according to a statement from the socialist opposition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/category\/general\/\" rel=\"dofollow\">General News &#8211; 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Le maire de Saint-Etienne, Ga\u00ebl Perdriau, le 29 janvier 2024, \u00e0 l\u2019h\u00f4tel de ville de Saint-Etienne. JEFF PACHOUD \/ AFP Recent developments have brought the mayor of Saint-Etienne, \u00a0Ga\u00ebl Perdriau\u00a0, into the spotlight, with a judicial order for a trial to be held in connection with a scandal involving blackmail associated with an intimate video [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147154,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}