A banker and his wife, domiciled in Toulouse, were tried this week before the Périgueux criminal court. They are suspected of having abused their uncle and aunt. Two people with disabilities who had just won €513,000 at the Euromillions.
After winning €513,000 at the Euromillions, two disabled pensioners accuse their niece and her husband, a bank manager in Toulouse, of taking advantage of it. The couple, now 54, allegedly embezzled part of the jackpot on their own.
It all started in 2014. At the time, a blind 60-year-old man and his wife, disabled due to an accident at work, were playing a grid at the Euromillions and pocketed the sum of 513,000 euros. The first reaction of the winners is surprising: these pensioners, domiciled in Périgord, do not want to pocket this money for fear of no longer receiving their social benefits, including an allowance for disabled adults.
The niece’s husband is a bank manager in Toulouse
After careful consideration, they call their banker, who is also the husband of their niece who lives in the Haute-Garonne. This director of a bank located in Toulouse offers to collect the winnings for them and to buy them a brand new house. For this, the sixty-year-old, the banker and his wife go to the Française des jeux and certify that all four have completed this grid. Retirees accept their niece and her husband to cash out the jackpot
With this half a million euros, the 46-year-old niece kept her promise and had a house built for a total of 350,000 euros. The remaining €113,000 had to be kept in the bank account to cover any work or repairs.
The retirees set up their new home in 2017 as tenants. From there, the versions differ. “Our customers had a deal. They collected the rent, around 700 euros, from their uncles and repaid them in cash, assures Me Clément Rouger who, with Me Sarah Rueda, defends the interests of the bank manager and his wife. The victims say that contrary to the agreement made with their niece, the rents have never been repaid.
Since 2020 the situation has seriously deteriorated. After noticing a boiler malfunction, the Périgourdins asked their niece to draw on the €115,000 left in reserve to carry out repairs. But the banker and his wife refuse. In response, the two disabled people no longer pay the rent. The conflict reached its climax when an eviction procedure was initiated by the owners in 2022.
Complaint for abuse of weakness
The two victims, advised by their lawyer Me Eric Barrateur, finally filed a complaint. After an investigation by the gendarmes, the two Toulouse men were tried this Thursday before the Périgueux criminal court. “Either you were very gullible or too greedy”, launches the prosecutor addressing the victims. However, he believes that the defendants are guilty of abusing the vulnerability of their elders and requests a fine of 10,000 euros, the confiscation of the house and two apartments in Toulouse which were allegedly acquired thanks to the profits from the manipulation. The verdict will be issued on February 13.
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