Lille (AFP)

The Lille public prosecutor's office requested the dismissal of the president of the European Metropolis of Lille (Mel), Damien Castelain, before the criminal court for "concealing breach of trust" in the Grand Stade case, we learned Tuesday from concordant sources.

In 2018, the prosecution had requested a dismissal of the seven persons charged or placed under the status of assisted witness in this case, including Mr. Castelain, but had requested additional information for a section of the case concerning this one, about the delivery via Eiffage to his home of stones for the construction of a terrace.

Following these additional investigations, the prosecution therefore considered the charges sufficiently established to require the return of the elected representative various right before the criminal court of Lille for "concealment of breach of trust".

According to corroborating sources, the other counts of prosecution are either prescribed or do not constitute serious offenses.

After these requisitions, it is now up to the investigating judge to rule on this request for referral, but also on the dismissal required by the prosecution on the rest of the case.

Questioned by AFP, the prosecution did not wish to react immediately.

This decision follows the indictment in August 2019, in this section, of Mr. Castelain, at the head of the Mel since 2014. He is suspected of having benefited for 18,000 euros of stones delivered via Eiffage, builder of the stadium , for a personal terrace.

He was already indicted since 2017 for "passive influence peddling" and "complicity in favoritism" in this investigation into the award of the contract for the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Eiffage in 2008, when he was one of the vice -presidents of the urban community.

Various right mayor of the small town of Péronne-en-Mélantois since 1998, re-elected in the first round in the municipal election of March 15, Damien Castelain should be a candidate for his succession as head of the metropolis after the second tour, June 28.

His election in 2014 marked the end of the domination of the Socialist Party, which has presided over the urban community since its creation in 1967, while preventing the UMP (now LR) from taking it over.

- "We will go to the end" -

In addition to Mr. Castelain, two former elected officials - Michelle Demessine, former PCF North senator and Henri Ségard, also former vice-president of the institution - were targeted by this open judicial information for favoritism, forgery and use of forgery, corruption and influence peddling.

Two former Eiffage executives were also suspected of active trading in influence, and two community officials of forgery and the use of forgery.

Eiffage had been chosen by the urban community, while its project presented an additional cost of 108.5 M EUR, compared to that, more traditional, of Bouygues.

A source close to the investigation, he was accused of MM. Castelain and Ségard for having been invited by Eiffage to two sporting events abroad, a French team football match at Euro 2008 and the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix in August 2010.

"At least we will have discovered that Damien Castelain was not quite the right man he should be as the elected representative of the people. But we are not at the end of the matter, we will go to the end, we will challenge before the investigating chamber the fact that Eiffage is not dismissed and we will go to cassation so that this mountain does not give birth to a mouse ", said Tuesday AFP Eric Darques, civil party.

Mr. Castelain's lawyer, Florence Rault, rejected these accusations in April 2017, claiming that he had paid for his trip to Switzerland, his earthworks and that he had been invited to Hungary by friends "who had not unrelated to Eiffage ".

Questioned Tuesday evening by AFP, Me Rault did not wish to speak.

The Pierre-Mauroy stadium, located in Villeneuve-d'Ascq and inaugurated in 2012, is an ultramodern enclosure with 50,000 seats where the matches of Losc, Lille football club are mainly held.

Mr. Castelain is also the subject of a preliminary investigation for embezzlement of public funds for invoices including perfumes, wellness services or nights in luxury hotels between 2017 and 2018, amounting to approximately 11,000 euros, according to the Médiacités site.

© 2020 AFP