A court in France convicted the mayor of Saint-Étienne for blackmail with a secretly recorded video. The verdict also includes four years of non-parole imprisonment and a ban on public office.
A court in France on Monday sentenced the mayor of the city of Saint-Étienne to four years in prison for blackmailing his political opponent with a secretly recorded video of a prostitute from an escort service, AFP reported.
Mayor Gaël Perdriau, who has led the industrial city in eastern France since 2014, denied throughout the trial that he ordered the videotaping of his then-deputy Gilles Artigues, a Catholic who has publicly opposed same-sex marriage. The aim was to thwart the plans of Artigues, who intended to run for mayor.
However, the court in Lyon found 53-year-old Perdriau guilty of extortion, criminal conspiracy and misuse of public funds. He imposed a four-year non-parole sentence and a further year of probation, as well as a five-year ban from holding public office, effective immediately.
He wants to appeal against the verdict
The court also imposed sentences on three co-defendants, including Perdriau’s former chief of staff and another deputy for education, who admitted to setting up a trap for Artigues. Perdriau maintained his innocence after the verdict and announced he would appeal.
In 2017, Artigues secretly recorded a conversation with Perdriau, in which he warned him that he had a USB stick with compromising footage of him and threatened to publish it. According to Artigues, this situation paralyzed him, he even thought about suicide. He welcomed Monday’s verdict. “I think I will be able to start living again,” he said.
The judicial inquiry into the Perdriau case was launched on 2 September 2022. After the media coverage of the scandal, Perdriau lost support and was expelled from the Republican Party (LR). Subsequently, although he gave up his functions at the regional level, he retained the post of mayor. In response, several members of the city council resigned from their mandate.
