"A mythomaniac of the worst kind": At his trial for money laundering and corruption, Patrick Balkany on Wednesday torpedoed the testimony of his former ally Didier Schuller, behind the investigation that led him to the bench of the defendants. "Didier Schuller is a mythomaniac of the worst kind, he has never participated in my campaign (which will see his election in 1983 at the town hall of Levallois-Perret, upscale common West Paris, Ed .) I did not never asked for anything, I never took care of the finances of the RPR (ancestor of the right-wing LR party) ", said Patrick Balkany at the helm.
"Didier Schuller is angry at me because he was not given the nomination for the municipal elections in Clichy"
The president of the 32nd correctional chamber, Benjamin Blanchet, had just read the statements to the examining magistrates of Didier Schuller, director of the office HLM of Hauts-de-Seine (1986-1994), office of which Patrick Balkany was the president (1983-1998). "I paid my debt, I see today that the president of the office of HLM at the time, Patrick Balkany, was relaxed," said magistrates Didier Schuller, sentenced for trading in influence in the Hauts-de-Seine HLM case, which targeted the hidden financing of the RPR.
After years of loyal silence, the former ally dropped a bomb: "Patrick Balkany would have at his disposal a palace in Marrakech, a luxury residence in Saint-Martin and the usufruct of the Moulin de Giverny (da, s, Eure). " He added: "I am happy to see that what I thought was political financing could have benefited other purposes and probably personal". Patrick Balkany is boiling to answer. "Didier Schuller is angry at me because he was not given the nomination for the 2014 municipal elections in Clichy, he came to see me, I told him that it was not reasonable, he was beaten." .
The bitterness of Didier Schuller
Didier Schuller did not hide his bitterness to the judges: yes, he blames Patrick Balkany who does not "return the elevator" while he claims to have deposited for him, from 1987 to 1994, between 7 and 10 million francs in an account in Switzerland, funds "for the RPR of Hauts-de-Seine". Patrick Balkany, who was one of the founders of the RPR, denies having drenched in any hidden political financing or influence peddling and reminds several times that he was relaxed about the HLM. He regrets that "justice has given as much importance to the declarations" of Didier Schuller who fled to Santo Domingo when broke the scandal and was once "the most wanted man in France".
This testimony actually led Patrick and Isabelle Balkany, mayor and first assistant of Levallois-Perret, to the court to answer of "laundering on a large scale" between 2007 and 2014. Accused of having concealed to the tax office of incomes and a patrimony "occultes At least 13 million euros, especially two properties hidden behind exotic financial arrangements, they incur up to ten years in prison.