- DVD mayor of Sanary-sur-Mer, Ferdinand Bernhard, appears before the Marseilles court for a series of economic and financial offenses.
- He is accused in particular of having improperly promoted his mistress, who saw her salary double in two years.
- Justice is also looking into the building permit for his villa.
"Amalgamation between public means and private ends", principles of public markets "trampled on", undue promotion of his mistress: Ferdinand Bernhard, mayor (DVD) of Sanary-sur-Mer, in the Var, since 1989, is tried from Monday in Marseille for a series of economic and financial offenses.
The 68-year-old dentist, whose defense will demand release from "slanderous accusations", was re-elected on March 15 for a sixth term, with more than 68% of the vote.
Alert from the regional chamber of accounts
This file was initiated by the complaint of a political opponent in 2010, then by an alert to the prosecution of the regional chamber of accounts in 2011 after an investigation into the management of this seaside town of 17,000 inhabitants.
In his order for reference to the Marseille Criminal Court in November 2018, the investigating judge retained five elements which could be classified as illegal taking of interest, embezzlement of public funds and favoritism.
Promotion of his mistress
The elected representative will thus have to explain the professional trajectory of his mistress, promoted from the position of management controller, at just over 2,000 euros, to that of director general of services, two years later, with double remuneration.
The mistress of the elected official, who appears for concealment of embezzlement of public funds and concealment of illegal taking of interest, had first agreed with the gendarmes that her career progression was linked to her intimate relationship with the mayor, before d feel that his promotion was solely due to his skills. The mayor of Sanary is also being sued for the personal use of a municipal vehicle, a toll card and a gas card.
Suspicions on the building permit of the mayor's villa
The court will also have to study the implication of the municipal services in the examination of the request for a building permit for the mayor's villa, with according to the investigating judge “a succession of amalgams between interests and / or means public and private purposes ”.
Ferdinand Bernhard will finally have to explain himself about breaches of public procurement rules concerning the drafting of the municipal bulletin and a post of chief of staff. The latter, a former justice conciliator, was tried for concealing favoritism.
Me Julien Pinelli, defender of Ferdinand Bernhard, underlines that in spite of these legal troubles, it is the first time that the mayor was elected as of the first turn: "The attachment which its fellow-citizens carry to him since 1989 rests in particular on balanced and efficient management of public accounts ”.
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- Mayor
- Trial
- Misappropriation of public funds