The mayor of Montauban tried for embezzlement of public funds this Thursday in Toulouse

The trial of Brigitte Barèges, mayor Les Républicains de Montauban, opens this Thursday, December 10 at 8:30 am at the Toulouse Criminal Court. The chosen one is judged to have embezzled public funds, used for a fictitious job within the town hall. Four people will be heard in this trial, where elected opposition officials have become a civil party.

Back to the 2014 municipal elections

A case that the mayor of Montauban has been dragging behind her for a while, since it goes back more than five years, in 2014. Brigitte Barèges is then both mayor of Montauban, but also a candidate for her municipal re-election, but suspicions of fraud weigh on his campaign.

One of his former collaborators, Jean-Paul Fourment, says he was employed at the town hall, but on behalf of the candidate. A fictitious job where he was paid by the town hall to write in the Small Journal, a local daily, glowing articles on the work of the mayor, then in the race for his re-election. A prohibited process, since it amounts to promoting a candidate with money from the town hall, public funds.

A long-term investigation

Inspectors look into the case, peel the campaign accounts by Brigitte Barèges, in which there is no trace of these articles and this use. The administrative court rejects the campaign accounts and declares Brigitte Barèges ineligible, who manages to overturn the decision by appealing to the Council of State.

But it is then the criminal justice which takes up the case, and the mayor is finally indictment in 2015 for embezzlement of public funds.

A investigation is then opened, the investigations extend over several years, and it is the results of these investigations which are expected at the trial of this Thursday, December 10.

Four defendants against three elected opposition members of the civil party

To the barre, Brigitte Barèges, his former chief of staff Stéphane Bensmaine, and Jean-Paul Fourment, the famous fictitious employee heard for concealment of embezzlement of public funds. Alain Paga, the boss of Small Journal, will also be heard.

Faced with the four defendants, opposition municipal councilors formed a civil party, in particular Arnaud Hilion, former unsuccessful candidate for the municipal elections of 2020, Jeannine Meignan and Rodolphe Portoles, from the left-wing group The Alternative for Montauban. An approach “to represent the Montalbanais, who are those who have been harmed because of this fictitious job, if it is proven” explains Arnaud Hilion, but also to keep an eye on the file.

According to’elected opposition member, “for the image of the city, these stories are never good and people have a very degraded image of Montauban, and that alone is very negative for the city”. Arnaud Hilion also believes that “sIf the procedure has followed its course so far, it is good that the elements are real, otherwise the case would be closed “.

Brigitte Barèges risks in the worst case of prison, but also a big fine of 150,000 euros and a ineligibility penalty of several years.

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