- Karim Zeribi, former municipal elected official in Marseille and MEP, has been on trial since Monday by the Marseille Criminal Court for "embezzlement" and "abuse of social goods".
- He is suspected of having used two associations for political purposes.
- The court will also have to deal with the company K2C headed by the son of Karim Zeribi and for which they are both suspected of abuse of social property.
“The confusion of genres” versus the “confusion of the file”. Karim Zeribi, former elected Europe Ecology Greens, has been on trial since Monday by the Marseille Criminal Court for embezzlement and misuse of social goods. He is suspected of having used grants paid to associations for political purposes. After a long tirade like the old Big Gueule of RMC, before becoming a columnist at Libra your post , knows how to do them on her journey, the president Céline Ballérini became interested in two associations: Agir pour la Citoyenne (APC) and Agir for Citizenship Recruitment (APC-R).
Founded in 2001 with the aim of organizing the Parliament of the suburbs, APC exploded in the spotlight in 2005 during the riots. At the end of the 90s, Karim Zeribi worked at the SNCF before joining the cabinet of Jean-Pierre Chevènement, Minister of the Interior at the time. When Karim Zeribi decided to embark on a political career, he appeared in the legislative elections in 2007, then in the municipal elections in 2008 in Marseille, he left the presidency of APC.
Grants from the Bouches-du-Rhône General Council
But when he is no longer president, APC receives several grants and in particular one of 50,000 euros granted in record time by the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, headed at the time by Jean-Noël Guérini. Whose Karim Zeribi will become the spokesperson for the 2008 municipal elections. "I was no longer president, I did not sign this request for subsidy", replies Karim Zéribi.
INFO OBS. The former politician and activist for lower-income neighborhoods is being prosecuted for breach of trust and the abuse of social property. He appears this Monday before the Marseille Criminal Court
and risks up to 5 years in prison
https://t.co/qbMDoHajGy
Except that many testimonies of employees and volunteers of the association evoke a stranglehold of Karim Zéribi on the choices of the association, despite his departure from the presidency.
The president of the court notably points out that APC commissioned a poll on the actions carried out by the association, but also on its notoriety, that of the Parliament of the suburbs, and that of Karim Zeribi a few months before an election. “There are 49 questions, only one door on me. Have I served the association or the association served me? I rather wore APC. And I neither commissioned nor developed this survey, "defended Karim Zeribi with all the confidence that we know him.
Hyper-personalization
"And this expense of 4,933 euros for a communication newspaper produced in February 2007? The director of Fico'graphie explains that the amounts have been negotiated directly with you. There is an editorial signed by Karim Zeribi, an article on education and employment with Ségolène Royale and Karim Zeribi, a portrait of Zeribi for Un patron pour une quartier, then we can still see you in a photo with young people for them registration on the electoral lists. Don't you think you appear a lot for someone who is no longer president? "Wonders Céline Ballérini.
“Yes there is a hyper-personalization. I was no longer president of APC but still of the Parliament of the suburbs, and afterwards we can redo the scenario. I was asked to be the locomotive of certain events such as the Parliament of the suburbs, this communication medium related these events, it is normal that I appear there ”, explains Karim Zeribi who has decidedly answered everything. And too bad if the association's communications manager will later become its campaign manager.
Associative or political?
The gender confusion was noted several times by the President. "One of your APC employees explains that she actually worked for APC-R, do you find it normal for APC to pay someone who actually works for APC-R?" She asked him. “It is true that it may have been a mistake that we made, but the question of employment was emerging and we wanted to help start up APC-R. Without anyone getting rich. It's always difficult to start an association, ”explained Karim Zeribi.
And when several employees explain that Karim Zeribi used the association through his election campaign? "Do you realize the consequences it has had on my life for five years?" It is a bag of knots and there was a lot of confusion at the level of the investigation, the file is confused ”, placed Karim Zeribi in the position of the victim.
"It is above all that everything was done so that there was confusion," became angry Céline Ballérini while Karim Zeribi looked at the public prosecutor and the press rather than her, while answering questions.
"You don't answer questions"
“Many testimonies evoke a reduced activity of APC-R, with few recruitments, and that people employed by the association worked on your campaign. And this check for 2,000 euros paid by APC-R to transport the elderly for your campaign, "continued the president.
"It is false, I did not use the association for advantages on this campaign, if it were true we would not have had an activity report validated by certain funders", he replied before leaving in other explanations on the reasons for the presence of New France, a political structure that he created in the same premises as the association APC-R. "You do not answer the questions, everything is confused," once again raised the president, while Karim Zeribi believes "to bring clarity by material elements, against testimony".
For his lawyer, Michel Pezet, “we are on words, on stories, that's why we get angry, it's not easy. This is the trial we always do in politics, how did you pay for this poster? ", He got angry before a break. The Marseille Criminal Court must also examine the company K2C headed by the son of Karim Zeribi, when they are both suspected of "abuse of social property".
Justice
Marseille: Karim Zéribi in court for embezzlement on Monday
Municipal
Municipal elections in Marseille: Investigations into suspected proxy fraud in the entourage of Samia Ghali
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