The trial of a former deputy (related to LR) to the mayor of Marseille, suspected of having held a fictitious job for ten years in the city's public hospitals, opened Monday before the Paris criminal court.
Daniel Sperling, 65, now an opposition municipal councilor, appears for complicity and concealment of embezzlement of public funds: the national financial prosecutor's office contests the reality of the functions he exercised between 2007 and 2017 within the Assistance public - Marseille Hospitals (AP-HM).
Alongside him, four former leaders of the AP-HM are on trial for embezzlement of public funds, the courts accusing them of having validated the system put in place.
Territorial civil servant at the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Council, Daniel Sperling was seconded to the AP-HM in 2007 by the community, which continued to indirectly cover his remuneration.
His mission was in particular to coordinate the training of nurses and nursing assistants and to ensure an
“interface”
in this area with the Region, competent in the matter since a reform in 2004. At the same time, Daniel Sperling had elective functions: he was regional advisor to PACA from 2010 to 2021 and deputy to the mayor of Marseille Jean-Claude Gaudin from 2001 to 2020.
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"I was very busy"
At the bar, he tried at length to convince the court of the reality of his functions at the AP-HM.
“To summarize in a few words an activity of ten years is very complicated, but in any case the reality of the work is there
,” he insisted.
Daniel Sperling admitted that he spent little time in his office at the AP-HM, but
“it was admitted”
by his employer that he benefited from
“50% leave of absence”
to be able to devote himself to his duties as an elected official, he explained.
A tolerance which was not, however, formalized:
“we were in a relationship of trust regarding the arranged schedules”
.
“I was a very busy elected official but I always assumed that my professional responsibilities came first
,” he added.
The representative of the prosecution, Sébastien de La Touanne, was surprised by this unofficial part-time work.
Employers are required to release their employees so that they can exercise their elective mandate, but nothing obliges them to maintain remuneration during this
“discharge”
, he observed.
Receiving, under these conditions, around 8,000 euros of monthly salary in addition to 6,000 euros of elected official compensation, does it not seem
“illegitimate”
, questioned the magistrate.
“It’s disproportionate
,” admitted the defendant, but
“I did the work that was asked of me, that’s the most important thing
. ”
The trial is scheduled until March 6.