Levallois-Perret (AFP)

Fifty people gathered Saturday afternoon in front of the town hall of Levallois-Perret to denounce the incarceration "inadmissible" Mayor of the city, Patrick Balkany, sentenced the previous day to four years in prison for tax fraud, found a AFP reporter.

"This sentence is inadmissible, incomprehensible, it's simply scandalous," Anne was blown away by AFP. Former resident of Levallois, she made the trip to sign a guestbook of support for the couple, arranged in front of the town hall.

A similar reaction for Nathalie, who lives in this affluent city of the Hauts-de-Seine for 12 years: "Go to jail for tax fraud, it is completely disproportionate! It pays for all others."

"This story of the arrest warrant, it has no precedent." No one, no convicted politician has slept in jail. We do this to humiliate him ", abounds Thierry Khayat, white t-shirt flocked with the inscription "total support to Balkany". "The fact that he goes to prison strengthens him in the heart of the Levalloisians," he continues.

An hour after the start of the rally, Isabelle Balkany, who takes over her husband as first assistant, came out, under the cheers, greet the people. "I am deeply touched," Balkany, who was sentenced Friday to three years in prison but without a warrant, told reporters.

Figure of the French right and mayor of Levallois almost continuously since 1983, Patrick Balkany was incarcerated Friday afternoon at the prison of Health in Paris, in the wake of his conviction.

The court found the couple Balkany guilty of not having paid the ISF between 2010 and 2015, despite assets estimated for each year to 16 million euros minimum, and to have declared income largely undervalued between 2009 and 2014.

In total, the amounts evaded are estimated by the tax authorities at more than 4 million euros in income and wealth taxes, an amount contested by the defense.

The couple was also sentenced to ten years of ineligibility and ten years of prohibition to run a company. He appealed.

This is the first of two judgments expected after the ultra-media spring trial. For the second part, devoted to the crimes of money laundering and corruption, the deliberation is expected on October 18th.

© 2019 AFP