In Saint-Etienne, the mayor clings to his chair – Le Monde

The mayor of Saint-Etienne, Gaël Perdriau (standing), during the city council of the city, September 26, 2022. OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP “Ethical fault”, “lost honor”, ​​“broken trust”… The opposition claimed the resignation of the mayor of Saint-Etienne on all tones, during the municipal council, Monday, September 26. “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,” declared Pierrick Courbon (Socialist Party, PS), as soon as the overheated session opened. For the three opposition groups, socialist, communist and environmentalist, Gaël Perdriau (Les Républicains, LR) is no longer legitimate to exercise his functions, after the successive revelations of Mediapart on the blackmail exerted 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 questions the role of Pierre Gauttieri, suspected of an active part in the blackmail. The mayor’s chief of staff was seen in the halls on the day of the city council, when he was 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 compassion for Gilles Artigues If he took note of his temporary withdrawal from the presidency of the metropolis, under pressure from several mayors of the region, and if he announced the end of his formal representations at the municipal level, Gaël Perdriau s clings to his chair as mayor. “The municipal team is at work. The hundred deliberations on the agenda are proof of this if some doubted it, ”he asks, opening the council, while feeling obliged 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 skilfully told story aims to destroy me, to unite forces that I was able to thwart, ”defends Gilles Perdriau. What strengths? The aedile makes mysteries. “Evidence has been given to justice, which shows that the file is infinitely more complex than the version for the prosecution 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.