Trapped by his own colleagues.
Since 2014, the centrist Gilles Artigues, first deputy of the city of Saint-Etienne, lived in fear of the revelation of a
compromising "
sextape ".
Until Friday August 26, 2022, when Mediapart revealed the existence of these images.
These show the chosen one in a hotel room in Paris, in the company of a gay escort busy giving him an erotic massage.
The meeting, kept secret because it embarrassed this elected official with conservative values, was in fact a plot orchestrated by the mayor's entourage.
The objective, according to information from Mediapart, being to "
contain (the) political influence
" of Gilles Artigues in Saint-Etienne.
Set up
The case dates back to winter 2014. Gilles Artigues, elected centrist since 1995, is traveling to Paris with Samy Kéfi-Jérôme, deputy mayor of Saint-Etienne in charge of education.
The escort-boy, found and interviewed by Mediapart, reports having been contacted beforehand by Samy Kéfi-Jérôme, also an adviser to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and support of Laurent Wauquiez.
In the screenshots of the video made by Médiapart, the chosen one presents the two men, then leaves the room, leaving the escort to perform an erotic massage.
No sexual relations take place, however, specifies the information site.
A few months later, the existence of the images would have been revealed to the person concerned.
Enough to embarrass this elected official known for his conservative positions, appointed last June diocesan director of Catholic education in Albi.
How did Mediapart get wind of the affair?
By Gilles Rossary-Lenglet, the ex-companion of Samy Kéfi-Jérôme, who confessed to having received no less than
"50,000 euros"
for the execution of the plan with his former spouse.
The money would have passed through municipal subsidies, supposedly intended for two Saint-Etienne associations.
The mayor challenges "any notion of blackmail"
Accused by the newspaper of having covered the affair, the mayor of Saint-Étienne, Gaël Perdriau, expressed his “
astonishment
”.
“
I am not aware of such a project
”, he denied, refusing any further comment before “
understanding all the ins and outs of this affair
”.
He also contests "
firmly any notion of blackmail, which would be linked to the decisions that (Gilles Artigues) has taken recently
".
Last May, the first deputy resigned from this position which he had held since 2014, citing "
personal reasons
".
Gilles Rossary-Lenglet, who revealed the affair to Médiapart, ensures for his part that once the video has been shot, the mayor of Saint-Étienne and his chief of staff, Pierre Gauttieri, "
mandated Samy to show the short video
.
The message was clear: Gilles Artigues should not make a difference if he did not want the video to come out
, ”he explains.
For his part, Samy Kéfi-Jérôme did not respond to Mediapart's requests.
Read alsoMathieu Valbuena, the big “loser” in the sextape blackmail affair
On Saturday, the cabinet of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, without commenting on the case, simply announced in a press release the suspension of Samy Kéfi-Jérôme as delegated adviser for digital strategy.
“
Pending further information, this withdrawal will allow him to fully ensure his defense
”, explains the Region.
Friday afternoon, Laurent Wauquiez's cabinet did not wish to comment, judging however, according to the local newspaper
Le Progrès
, that "
what is revealed is incredibly violent
".
Gilles Artigues' lawyer has announced his desire to file a complaint for "
aggravated blackmail
".
His client would have "
been the subject of many occasions, blackmail
,
in connection with the threat of dissemination of the video
"
,
declared Me Buffard.
According to the Saint-Étienne public prosecutor's office, the complaint has not yet been filed.
