"Patrick! Patou! Hip, hip, hip, hurray! In the permanence of the Republicans of Levallois-Perret, the noise of the champagne glasses, which collide, is covered by the cries of joy of the militants, this Wednesday evening. The mayor's supporters (LR) wanted to celebrate the release of Patrick Balkany together, as soon as the announcement was made in the afternoon.
Convicted for tax fraud and laundering of tax fraud, the elected official had been imprisoned since September 13. This Wednesday, the Paris Court of Appeal ordered his release for medical reasons, following the appeal trial of Patrick and Isabelle Balkany, for laundering of aggravated tax fraud.
“We are happy!” Cries Hocine, inset since 1979 and Levalloisien for a long time. It is joy in Levallois. If you had to make a firework, we would make one! "
Amid the shouting, Jean-Paul Morin, president of Levallois Culture, shares a message on Facebook. "Finally, it's a magic moment!" "He exclaims, delighted, while regretting that Patrick Balkany spent five months in prison.
"It is shameful, the physical state in which they returned it! He is extremely weak. I hope it will recover quickly. "
"I hope they will leave him alone"
His supporters no longer want to hear about prison. " Especially not ! We hope they will leave him alone now. They took everything from him, his money, his health, what more do they want? Let him find his family and see him again in the streets of Levallois. "
A few meters away, on Place de la République, at the foot of the town hall, the joy is shared. "I am very, very happy!" You don't put a man of that age in such a state of health in prison, ”denounces Michèle.
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Residing in Levallois for ten years, she did not understand the usefulness of putting her mayor behind bars. "He is not a murderer, he should never have been incarcerated," she judges. Tax fraud, okay, but he paid dearly for it, his property was seized and he has no future in politics. It is not worth pushing it even more. "
Hope that the case comes to an end
Sarah, a young mother who has lived in the town for seven years, is on the same wavelength: "He does not need to be in prison, otherwise, we should put everyone there because the politicians are all twisted! "
"We love it," continues the young woman. We miss him, he's a good man who has only done good for the city. Justice is finally done, ”she says.
Poutchie, a student, seems very alone to regret this release. " Too bad. For once there was a politician who was put in prison and who paid for what he had done. Admittedly, he has health problems but he could have been hospitalized while remaining incarcerated, "she said.
But she also does not envisage a return of Patrick Balkany in prison. "Now that it's done, I think the Balkany affair is soon over. "
Patrick Balkany sat behind his desk in town hall
Released at the end of the afternoon, Patrick Balkany did not return directly to his property in Giverny (Eure). The mayor (LR) first made a detour through the town hall of Levallois-Perret.
Sitting behind his desk, very emaciated, surrounded by "his", elected officials and city officials, he explains that he had this "need". A kind of “essential therapy”, underlines Isabelle Balkany about this improvised meeting.
“I just needed to see them, to tell them that I read all of their letters and that they were great. It was too important ”, underlines the elected official.
Before asking to return. "No, you will not see me, I am going to rest," he assures then, when asked if he intends to get involved in the electoral campaign of his former chief of staff, Agnès Pottier Dumas, who leads the list of the municipal majority in the elections.
"It is obviously much awaited by the locals who want to see it. But the most important thing today is that he rests and rekindles his family, "said the head of the list, who was dubbed by the Balkany couple.
He will not be physically present at the municipal council this Thursday
Because the outgoing mayor will not be a candidate for the next municipal elections, as his wife Isabelle announced on December 18. In any case, he will most likely be subject to enforceable ineligibility at the time of the elections, which will take place on 15 and 22 March next.
Nothing prevents him from appearing sporadically in "his" city, as he did this Wednesday evening. But he said he would not be physically present at city council this Thursday evening. There is no doubt, however, that his name will be on everyone's lips.
In view of his state of health and medical follow-up for the next few weeks, he will probably not appear at the campaign meeting of Agnes Pottier Dumas either. It is to be held on February 26, at the conservatory, in the presence of many political figures from the right and from the center. In particular, the president of the Republicans, Christian Jacob, and the president of the Ile-de-France regional council, Valérie Pécresse (Free!) Are announced.
