The former communist president of the Val-de-Marne departmental council, Christian Favier, was sentenced Wednesday in Paris to a fine of 10,000 euros for embezzlement of public jobs within the community between 2011 and 2017.
The court did not impose a sentence of ineligibility on Christian Favier, 72, beaten in 2021 by the right and in political retirement.
His former chief of staff, tried alongside him, was sentenced for complicity to a fine of 8,000 euros, again without ineligibility.
"Double Harm"
The case began with a report at the end of 2016 from the Regional Chamber of Accounts of Ile-de-France, which then made a report to the courts.
The court estimated that 29 administrative jobs within a service called “
questure
” had indeed been “
diverted
”, since they had been assigned to the services of the political authority and therefore to the elected members of the executive.
"
Administrative jobs are created exclusively for the exercise by the department of its powers, in the general interest, in particular its public service missions
", according to the decision.
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This "
caused double harm
", underlined the president of the court in rendering his decision: "
to the finances of the department
" and by "
partially distorting the functioning of the local democratic system (...) since there were means given to the majority in place
”.
Facts "
all the more serious as they lasted for seven years, and that you had the skills to put an end to them quickly
", added the magistrate.
The court nevertheless took into account the "
blank record
" of the defendants, "
the absence of personal enrichment
" and the fact that "
the jobs of employees of elected officials were partly useful
" to the department by making "
the interface between a reference elected official and the departmental administration
”.
The president further noted that the questure had been abolished in March 2017 and that the services had been “
diligently reorganized
”.
Disagreement on "intentionality"
During the trial in January, the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) had requested an 8-month suspended prison sentence, a fine of 10,000 euros and two years of ineligibility.
“
Obviously I formally contest this conviction
”, reacted to the press at the end of the hearing Christian Favier, saying “
particularly in disagreement on the question of intentionality
”.
He mentioned an organization dating back to “
the 1980s
” which “
pre-existed
” when he arrived at the head of the department in 2001, “
including in other communities
”.
"
No one was alert on this subject
" and "
it took almost 15 years before being alerted by the Regional Chamber of Accounts
", he said.
Noting that the judgment was "
very different
" from "
the sentence requested by the prosecution
", he nevertheless said he reserved the possibility of appealing.
