Former businessman, Pierre Botton had been at the heart of a political and financial scandal in the 1990s. At the time, he had been sentenced on appeal to 5 years in prison, including 18 months suspended sentence for misuse of property social. This Wednesday, the ex-son-in-law of Michel Noir (former mayor of Lyon) returned to justice. Suspected of having embezzled the money from his association to fight recidivism, he was tried there until March 4 before the Paris Criminal Court.
A dozen facts against him
Pierre Botton was once again caught by the courts in January 2017 after a report by the anti-money laundering service of the Ministry of Finance, which had opened a preliminary investigation. He was referred in May 2019 to the Paris Criminal Court. A dozen offenses are alleged against him.
The 64-year-old man is suspected of having passed personal expenses for professional expenses, between 2013 and 2017, on behalf of his association "Together against recidivism", now dissolved. Like rents and works for a villa in Cannes and its Parisian apartment, but also travel or luxury hotel expenses. The total amount of the damage would be in the hundreds of thousands of euros.
He refutes these accusations
Faced with these accusations, Pierre Botton, today "formally" challenges the facts of which he is accused. Through his lawyer Me Jérôme-Marc Bertrand, he said that a tax audit dating from 2016 had "validated 95% of the expenses concerned". He also said he regretted "a charge investigation, which does not question the right people and which keeps blinkers until the end. His ex-wife and former president of the association, Anne-Valérie Noir, is also on trial for breach of trust.
Coming out very marked by his 602 days behind bars, Pierre Botton had declared in 2011: "The prison saved my life". He then founded "Together against recidivism" in order to improve the conditions of detention of people sentenced to sentences of less than 5 years.
Justice
Former Lyon businessman Pierre Botton accused of diverting donations intended for his association against recidivism
Pierre Botton seeks to impose a new idea of prison- Money
- Association
- Lyon
- Paris
- Justice
- Jail
- Recidivism