Bastia (AFP)
"It is from these behaviors that democracy dies": the prosecutor requested Tuesday in Bastia four years in prison, including a suspended sentence against the former senator Joseph Castelli, suspected of having granted public contracts to companies against the carrying out work in his villa.
"A heady scent of systemic corruption" floats on this file, estimated the prosecutor of Bastia Arnaud Viornery, who also requested a 200,000 euros fine against the former senator of Haute-Corse, 72, and the confiscation of the villa in the heart of the business.
Prosecuted before the Bastia criminal court for passive influence peddling, concealment of property from a crime, aggravated money laundering and forgery, Mr. Castelli - who denies the facts alleged against him - has benefited from "subsidies friendly entrepreneurs "for nearly" 200,000 euros "to complete the financing of his villa," via false invoices ", criticized the magistrate.
"We suspect that this financing was made in exchange for the award of public contracts by Mr. Castelli" estimated at 10 million euros, recalled Monday the president of the Bastia criminal court, Jean-Bastien Risson.
However, for the prosecutor, only the public market of the Folelli media library, for an amount of 1.7 million euros, can be retained for prosecution.
On the existence of a "pact of corruption" in the attribution of this market, the court has "all the elements to condemn Mr. Castelli", assured Mr. Viornery.
He also assured that the accusations of forgery in writing were "perfectly established" but asked the court to release Mr. Castelli for the laundering of tax evasion.
For the prosecutor, the mechanism of embezzlement is clear: a company managed by a deceased entrepreneur and never heard of in the investigation was in charge of the construction of the villa of Mr. Castelli.
Invoices were paid to him by three other companies for fictitious subcontracting work on other sites, and these sums financed work on the villa of the former senator.
In exchange, these companies then obtained public contracts awarded by Mr. Castelli.
In the eyes of the prosecutor, Mr. Castelli had, as elected, "to embody a strict probity" and betrayed his voters: "It is of these behaviors that the democracy dies".
"I've never lost an election. I wonder what I'm doing in this mess. If I was that bad, you think these people would not have realized?" Monday Mr. Castelli.
Against the three entrepreneurs tried alongside Mr. Castelli - one of whom had recognized facts of corruption - the prosecutor requested sentences of up to two years in prison and a fine of 200,000 euros.
All the defense lawyers of the ex-senator and the three entrepreneurs have pleaded the release for their clients, one pointing out that "we do not condemn people for the scent of a fact" but on evidence when a second maintained that "legally in this file, there is nothing" except "of the crude judicial magic".
"The prosecution considers Mr. Castelli as Mr. Balkany except that the file is better tied on the other side", launched Me Jean-Louis Seatelli, referring to the former mayor of Levallois-Perret, Patrick Balkany , convicted of money laundering and tax evasion.
"We do not make the career of Joseph Castelli for more than 40 years if we are rotten," continued his lawyer.
The judgment was reserved on March 1.
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