The mayor of Metz François Grosdidier (ex-LR) was found guilty of "
illegal taking of interests
" on Tuesday by the correctional court of Épinal and sentenced to six months suspended imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 euros.
François Grosdidier was prosecuted for having paid in 2011, when he was a deputy, a subsidy of 160,000 euros with the funds from his parliamentary reserve to the association Valeurs Écologie, which he had chaired since 2009.
General interest ?
At the hearing in early January he assured that he had the feeling at the time of "
favoring a cause which seemed to him to be of general interest rather than his personal interest
".
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In addition, the analysis of the association's accounts had not revealed any movement of funds favoring it.
Mr. Grosdidier had denounced “
permanent judicial harassment
”, targeting a former political opponent, Philippe Mousnier, at the origin of this affair.
The former treasurer of the association Valeurs Écologie, Marie-Louise Kuntz, was also sentenced for the concealment of this illegal taking of interests, to 2 months of suspended imprisonment, as well as a fine of 2000 euros.
Ineligibility ruled out
The court found that François Grosdidier "
had a manifest interest in the granting of the subsidy to an association of which he was president
" and that Marie-Louise Kuntz "
was aware of the fraudulent origin of the funds
".
"
This judgment definitely clears me of the slanderous accusation of embezzlement of public property
", reacted François Grosdidier in a press release, announcing his desire to appeal.
“
It was essential for me, proving my probity to those who had trusted me.
Ineligibility is discarded when it was the real goal pursued by my accusers and political opponents.
»
Anticor's Obstinacy
An investigating judge issued a dismissal order in 2016, confirmed on appeal in 2017 by the Metz investigating chamber.
But the anti-corruption association Anticor then lodged an appeal in cassation and the Court of Cassation quashed the dismissal in June 2018, referring the case to the Nancy investigating chamber.
François Grosdidier was then indicted in February 2021 and returned to corrections in August 2021.
He will have to pay 1000 euros in damages to Anticor, his former treasurer 500 euros.
François Grosdidier was elected mayor of Metz in 2020. He had previously been mayor of the neighboring town of Woippy, from 2001 to 2017, and deputy for the 1st constituency of Moselle from 1993 to 2011.
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