The deputy (EELV) to the mayor of Paris David Belliard, implicated after the attribution, by the City of Paris of a subsidy to a Parisian publishing house which published it, will benefit from legal assistance related to his function, decided Thursday, December 15 the Council of Paris.
According to
Le Parisien
, a preliminary investigation was opened by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office after the City of Paris granted a grant of 50,000 euros to the publishing house "
Rue de l'Echiquier
", which published in 2019 David Belliard's essay “
Paris, childhood dream: For a truly ecological city
”.
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“His personal responsibility”
"
A publishing house which was on the verge of bankruptcy and bankruptcy, which lacked money, obtained a subsidy, and a member of this assembly who had an account with it (...) sees himself prosecuted for illegal taking of interests, it is his business, it is his personal responsibility
”, declared Thursday Francis Szpiner, mayor LR of the 16th arrondissement, judging that it is “
at least a conflict interest
" and that David Belliard "
should have abstained from voting
".
"
This publishing house experienced great difficulties in 2020 (...) like a very large number of other companies which have benefited from support measures from the State
", defended the elected EELV Sylvain Rafaud.
“
No, this publishing house is not that of EELV.
She has published dozens of authors
”, he added, specifying that David Belliard had never claimed from the publishing house “
the 104 euros in copyright to which he was entitled
”.
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Patrick Bloche, PS deputy for Education who chaired the session, quoted for his part the opinion of the Ethics Commission of the City of Paris for which "
no particular link of interest has been demonstrated between the EELV party and the publishing house except the publication of one book among hundreds of others
”.
“
David Belliard is implicated for facts related to the exercise of his mandate.
The general code of local authorities applies since it is the subject of criminal proceedings, therefore functional protection is a matter of law
, ”said Mr Bloche.