The Albi Correctional Court, in the Tarn (France), has sentenced 18 months in prison, nine of them with a sorrow suspension, to a former secretary of a small town hall accused of embezzling 140,000 euros. During his trial, held on November 21, the luxuries that the defendant was allowed at the expense of the municipality: Champagne bottles, computers, appliances and even the reposses of her personal car were detailed.
The plot was discovered thanks to an oversight. In 2023, the mayor of Mirandol, a quiet municipality in the Occitania region, received by mistake the notice of one of the suppliers to which the accused had come. When investigating, he discovered that invoices loaded to public coffers had no relationship with municipal needs, which raised all alarms.
Although in 2017 certain suspicions had emerged, they did not materialize until an investigation was completed that revealed that its secretary, who had been in office since 2015, was responsible for purchases. The confidence that inspired, mother of three children and a native of Normandy, prevented rumors from going to adults. But the mail sent by the supplier in 2023 turned out to be the key that ended years of abuse.
According to investigations, the defendant used public money to receive goods at home and also in their workplace. Among your purchases, according to Furniture, electronic devices and high -end appliances appear. In addition, he allocated part of the municipal funds to fill the deposit of his car. The Mirandol councilor, still surprised by the scope of embezzlement, did not hide his disappointment after the celebration of the trial: “We trusted it. We never thought that I could do something like that,” he said.
The sentence establishes that the former secretary will fulfill her prison sentence under electronic surveillance. In addition, it has been forbidden to work for the next ten years in any position that involves the management of funds or accounting. You will also have to compensate the affected municipality. Following this case, the defendant lost her category of territorial public official and was fired from the other two municipalities for which she worked.
