The trial for "
breach of trust
" by the former Minister Delegate for SMEs, Alain Griset, opened on Wednesday May 25 in Lille, on one of the aspects of the case which earned him a conviction in Paris in December, leading to his resignation from the government.
Read alsoDeclaration of assets: condemned, the Minister of SMEs Alain Griset resigns from the government
Present at the hearing, Alain Griset, who exercised the profession of taxi driver for more than 30 years, must answer for "
breach of trust
" at the expense of the National Confederation of Crafts, Trades and Services (Cnams ) North.
A sum of 130,000 euros belonging to this structure, which Alain Griset had been running since 1991, had been placed in his PEA.
"That money was not mine"
“
We contest the lawsuits for breach of trust
,” his lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve told AFP before the hearing.
This sum was deposited in this account "
with the tacit agreement of Cnams, it appeared in the balance sheet of Cnams as still belonging to it: it is a transparent and good faith operation
", he assured.
These 130,000 euros are part of the assets and interests that the minister failed to declare, in August 2020, after his appointment to the government, to the High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life (HATVP).
Read alsoAlain Griset defends himself from any “dishonesty” before the criminal court
On December 8, the Paris Criminal Court sentenced him to a six-month suspended prison sentence and a three-year suspended sentence of ineligibility for the "
incomplete or false declaration
" of his financial situation.
He had resigned from the government in the process, while appealing this conviction.
For the part judged in Lille, the former minister faces five years' imprisonment and a fine of 375,000 euros.
Before the Paris court, he claimed to have received in August 2019 "
mandate
" from the Cnams to "
make this sum grow over a short period in order to buy real estate
".
He was pleased with the capital gain of 19,000 euros made in eleven months.
“
My mandate was to manage this money as president of Cnams.
No longer being president, this mandate ended.
This money did not belong to me.
It never belonged to me before being a minister and even less after
”, he had insisted, also ensuring that he had been “
badly advised
”.
Read also LREM MP Mustapha Laabid, sentenced for breach of trust, resigns
The HATVP had taken legal action after noting the omission of Alain Griset and Tracfin, the anti-money laundering unit of Bercy, had made a report to the Lille prosecutor's office.
For the HATVP, the omission to declare was essentially intended “
to prevent the revelation of facts likely to receive the criminal qualification of breach of trust
”.
The Cnams, as a legal person, did not have the right to open a PEA, reserved for natural persons.
