He harasses and commands, mixing Marseille banter and barely veiled threats: wiretaps from Alexandre Guérini broadcast Tuesday March 16 in court show the hold that the brother of the former Marseille PS baron Jean-Noël Guérini exercised over a senior territorial official in charge of public contracts.
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“
I didn't want to have him against me.
It could be harmful for my personal situation, it was capable of harming me and my family,
”testified at the hearing Michel Karabadjakian, former deputy director general of the cleaning service of the Marseille Provence Métropole urban community (MPM ).
Alexandre Guérini, entrepreneur in waste management, has been appearing since Monday before the Marseille Criminal Court with his brother, Senator Jean-Noël Guérini, former president of the Bouches-du-Rhône general council, and ten other defendants, including Michel Karabadjakian , in a vast file relating in particular to the rigging of public contracts.
The meeting between Alexandre Guérini and Michel Karabadjakian comes the day after Jean-Noël Guérini's short defeat against Jean-Claude Gaudin in the 2008 municipal elections and after the surprise election of one of his relatives, the socialist Eugène Caselli, at the head of the MPM urban community.
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“
I was working for the city of Marseille when I was contacted by
someone
close to Alexandre Guérini, Eric Pascal, who offered to meet him,
” Michel Karabadjakian told the audience.
Alexandre Guérini presents himself to him as the brother of the powerful “
Jean-Noël
” - a habit which will earn him the nickname of “
Monsieur Frère
” - and makes him dangle a position of responsibility at the MPM.
In the transcript of a 2009 listening read at the hearing, the entrepreneur even boasts to Henri Proglio, the former boss of Véolia Environnement, to have as a "
close friend
" the chief of staff of Eugène Caselli, Franck Dumontel, placed in this post by his brother and who is “
the real boss
” of MPM.
"
Terrorized
"
Taking office in September 2008, Karabadjakian quickly rose through the ranks until five months later leading 4,000 people in eight directions, including waste.
However, in 2009 the metropolis must renew the waste sorting market for the next four years.
Two candidates are in the running: Sita Sud and a group of companies around Bronzo, in which Queyras Environnement, the company of Eric Pascal, friend of Alexandre Guérini, appears.
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Justice accuses the younger Guérini of having never ceased to demand and obtain from Michel Karabadjakian information and documents on the public procurement procedures in progress on waste to promote the society of Eric Pascal.
Regular phone calls, insistent comments, ritualized breakfasts: “
I was under constant pressure from Alexandre Guérini not to award the contract to Sita.
I was isolated, terrified, under the influence.
I could not say no
", explained at the bar Michel Karabadjakian, evoking in particular his physical fear of being"
hit
".
Thus, according to the judges, Alexandre Guérini obtains the seizure of a lawyer to have declared without continuation a procedure attributed to Sita Sud, the withdrawal of a public market (MAPA) that he considers inappropriate for him and Eric. Pascal and the establishment of a simple "
rider
" in accordance with their wishes.
And when Karabadjakian does not meet his expectations or that his waste manager dares to contradict his plans, Alexandre Guérini enrages, thunders and threatens.
“
I saw his document (which rebalanced the competitive process), it's nonsense.
He's starting to piss me off this guy (...) I found a replacement for him.
I will contact my brother who is in the United States, Eugene (Caselli) will receive the order to proceed with his replacement, everything will be under control,
”he told Karabadjakian in a listening broadcast at the hearing.
Questioned by President Céline Ballérini, Alexandre Guérini concedes "
lies uttered out of anger, an inexcusable attitude
".
"
Have I taken care of things that are none of my business?
I say yes.
Did I take advantage of it?
I say no,
”he defends himself, arguing to justify himself from a fight for“
the cleanliness of Marseille
”.
The trial of this case which covers a dozen different aspects is to last until April 9.
