Marseille (AFP)

The reports of the regional chamber of accounts on Marseille, which will be presented publicly Monday, draw a vitriol assessment of the management of Jean-Claude Gaudin, finance to staff through real estate. Here are some files mentioned by the magistrates.

+ Septuagenarians in the office

In Marseille, "the management of retirements (...) is at least costly", surprised the CRC, which denounces several continued "illegal" function, well beyond the legal age, the cabinet of the mayor. A file on which justice is seized.

Very close to Mr. Gaudin are pinned, starting with his faithful director of cabinet, Claude Bertrand, employee of the city despite his 73 years, or another member of his cabinet, Evelyne Oliva, 71, who does not return "in no legal framework for derogation ".

During the examination of the regional chamber, the oldest member of the cabinet was 77 years old: Monique Venturini, former elected to be in charge of public relations. Other senior representatives received a salary in lieu of vacations, even though the board doubts the "service done" in exchange: Solange Moll, a former woman elected "project manager" in the cabinet, was thus aged "more 82 years old "at the time of his departure.

For magistrates, the city "knowingly" violates the legal rules on retirement and thus causes a loss of more than one million euros per year to the taxpayer.

+ A trade unionist at the "brilliant career"

One of the essential figures of municipal life is scratched: the unionist Patrick Rué, boss of the territorial Force Ouvrière, historic union at the town hall, with which Jean-Claude Gaudin likes to show his goodwill, to the point of being sometimes accused of "co-managing" the city with him. He was hired to green spaces in 1974, after validating a construction worker contest. And went up the ladder until becoming a territorial engineer. All without attending any "competition, professional examination or internal selection", emphasize the judges.

"Undoubtedly the merits of the agent justify this brilliant career", ironically the regional chamber of accounts, adding that since 1993, Mr. Rué is made available to his union.

+ Doubtful real estate transactions

Several opaque real estate transactions, carried out at the expense of the finances of the town hall, are pointed.

Thus two dilapidated buildings bought in 2013 in a small street close to the Canebière "at prices well above their estimated value by France Domain, 74% for one and 130% for the other". The bill is settled at an SCI controlled by a contractor whose name was associated in the 1980s with relatives of Gaëtan Zampa, figure of Marseille banditry dead in 1984.

"Nothing allows to justify the exorbitant price paid by the city for these two ruins", 175,740 euros, judges, "except the will to compensate (this entrepreneur) for alleged damage, the existence of which is not demonstrated by any element ".

+ A former pampered footballer

The former footballer Jean-Christophe Marquet does not have to complain about the fate that has been reserved for him by the municipality of Jean-Claude Gaudin, according to the reports of the CRC. The former OM midfielder rents the city a jewel of its heritage, the fort of Corbières, which dominates the Estaque and the bay of Marseille, to organize "events". The city has overridden an opinion of the prefect to allow the former player to build on the premises a pool, a bowling alley and a terrace.

For this historic building of 400 m2, installed on a field 15 times larger, Mr. Marquet pays a fee of only 2,500 euros per month, according to a 10-year contract signed in 2017, with a small variable part. "But the major repairs are the responsibility of the city", as well as subscriptions and electricity consumption, remarks the CRC.

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