Le Figaro Nice
An opinion from the commission for access to administrative documents (Cada), consulted by
Le Figaro
, ruled in favor of an opposition elected official from the city of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) in obtaining the expense reports from Mayor Christian Estrosi and of the elected representatives of its majority.
In March 2023, Bernard Chaix, a Nice Republican elected official and close to Éric Ciotti, requested proof of the councilor's expenses, convinced of excess for personal purposes.
“We reserve the possibility of going further if he refuses to communicate them
,” he explained at the time.
A year later, Bernard Chaix kept his word.
With no response from the municipality despite several reminders, he contacted the Cada, an independent administrative authority to facilitate access to this type of documents, in a process of transparency.
His request, registered in July, was processed in October and he received a “favorable” opinion.
The one who had nevertheless been elected on the list of Christian Estrosi (Horizons) in the last municipal elections before turning his back on him to support his rival Éric Ciotti, wishes to get his hands on these expenses during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. He is targeting the invoices for travel, catering, performances presented by the community.
Read also: Fierce opponent of Christian Estrosi in Nice, Éric Ciotti bides his time
"Dissect"
In its opinion, the commission explains that
“receipts, supporting documents, invoices and expense reports [...] are supporting documents for expenses which constitute communicable administrative documents”
.
She further notes that this
“cannot be seen as calling into question the private lives of these people”
.
“We want to know how public money is used
,” insists Bernard Chaix.
What we want are the details and we’re going to dissect it all.”
In December 2022, the Nice deputy Éric Ciotti himself sent a letter to his former mentor to, already, be alarmed by the expenses of Christian Estrosi on the balance of the city and the metropolis.
The parliamentarian spoke of
“his Parisian offices”
,
“a company vehicle with driver and flashing light in Paris”
, or even trips and expenses in luxury restaurants.
“We want to know if it is justified
,” insists Bernard Chaix.
At the same time, Éric Ciotti outlined his ambition to run for city hall with the desire to poison his enemy brother until the deadline of 2026.
“If we do that, it’s because we have had some indicators
,” one of his close associates still insists today.
Convinced of having his chance in two years, the boss of the LR has since apprehended this election as the time of reckoning for the Nice taxpayer.
Read alsoNice: between Ciotti and Estrosi, the hatchet is dug up
“It’s all very supervised”
“It’s a reflection of what Éric Ciotti is because he is the first to know that he does the same thing to the questure and to the departmental council
(of which he is vice-president, Editor’s note)
,
”
annoys support from Christian Estrosi.
“There are public markets, ceilings, all that is very regulated
,” he adds, not worried by this
“strategy”
of the Ciotti clan.
Contacted by
Le Figaro
to find out if the mayor would grant this request, the city's press service did not respond.
This affair is reminiscent of that of the expense reports of the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
After five years of legal battle, independent journalist Stefan de Vries finally got what he was looking for.
He also started by contacting the Cada, which gave him a favorable opinion.
Through recourse to legal proceedings, the Council of State finally gave the Parisian councilor one month to communicate his expenses.
What she had done.
“We will not give up, we will go to the end,”
assures Bernard Chaix, who could soon take the matter to the administrative court.
“It could be the beginning of the end”
, jubilantly supports Eric Ciotti, convinced that he will make
“great discoveries”
.
For some time now, the leader of the Republicans has liked to repeat that
“Nice is in the process of being hidalgoized”
...
Christian Estrosi files a complaint for defamation... regarding other expense reports
Another elected official from the Alpes-Maritimes does not let go of the mayor of Nice regarding his expense reports.
The LR MP for the 5th constituency, Christelle d'Intorni, ended up obtaining some of the documents she was looking for concerning the public interest group in charge of the management of the former Formula 1 French Grand Prix, chaired by Christian Estrosi.
The debt of 32 million euros left at the end of four editions had caught his attention.
The parliamentarian, also close to Eric Ciotti, had contacted the Cada - which ruled in her favor - then initiated legal proceedings, before retracting having in the meantime obtained
"snippets"
, as she calls the documents received.
Invited on the
Nice-Matin
political show last Friday, she questioned the concordance between certain expenses and Christian Estrosi's birthday dates.
His but also that of his relationship with the journalist Laura Tenoudji.
Without asserting anything, she pointed to
“a restaurant for 850 euros in the Bégude area”
,
“a Mont-Blanc bill for 10,800 euros”
or even
“a bill for 500 euros at the Hôtel du Crillon”
and
“more than 9,000 euros in accommodation costs in Courchevel
.
On this last point, several sources assured Le
Figaro
that Christian Estrosi had never stayed in the Alpine ski resort and that it was only an event between partners.
“I have dates in front of numbers in front of places that question me
,” maintained Christelle d’Intorni.
Following these comments, the Nice mayor's lawyer told the regional daily that he was going to sue the parliamentarian for “defamation”.
The latter responded by arguing for a
“usual backlash”
on her X account (formerly Twitter).