Postponed due to the coronavirus in March, the trial of the so-called "Bygmalion" case resumed on May 20 before the 11th chamber of the Paris judicial tribunal.
Former executives of the UMP, responsible for the 2012 campaign and leaders of the Bygmalion company: in total, 14 people are on trial for this case of false invoices, including the former head of state Nicolas Sarkozy, who faces a penalty one year in prison.
During the first days of hearings, the court became certain that a system of false invoices had indeed been put in place.
It remains to be seen who had the idea, and who was informed.
At the Paris judicial court,
Since May 20, the days have followed and resembled the judicial tribunal of Paris.
They invariably rise with the secret hope of finally knowing the truth in the Bygmalion affair.
But they always end with a feeling of helplessness.
A feeling on which Nicolas Baïetto, the prosecutor, wanted to put words into words on Wednesday evening.
"We're trying to figure out what happened… But I don't know if we'll get there…"
When he said that, Jean-François Copé had been at the helm for barely 45 minutes.
But everyone had already understood that he could stay there for days, even weeks, without allowing to know more about this fraud case, which is worth to Nicolas Sarkozy and thirteen other defendants to risk today ' hui a prison sentence.
"Since then, I have not resumed national functions ..."
However, the former secretary general of the UMP is a key figure in the affair.
When it broke out in 2014, he was first suspected of having raised the electoral money in order to build up a war chest for his own presidential ambitions.
But the investigation finally established that he had not enriched himself.
That he didn't even know anything about it.
And he was cleared.
It is therefore as a simple witness that Jean-François Cope was expected at the bar on Wednesday.
But it is above all as a victim of this whole affair that he presented himself there. “May 27, 2014 is undoubtedly the most painful memory of my professional life, he attacks, referring to the date when the case exploded. Everyone thought it was me. I had to live with these vile rumors for months. I resigned. And I made the choice to renounce my commitment to the service of France. And since then, I have not resumed national functions… ”
It was therefore in his capacity as simple mayor of Meaux (Seine-et-Marne) that he repeated that he had been "kept away" from the system of false invoices which had enabled Nicolas Sarkozy to spend 42.8 million dollars. euros for his electoral campaign, while the law limited it to 22.508 million.
“I have always had fairly direct relations with him, balance Jean-François Cope to the place of his best enemy.
It is common knowledge.
In the minute [that I was informed], I would have been able to ban this madness.
And I would have been telling him!
"
Our file on Bygmalion
A "special witness" for defense lawyers
The statement is strong. But insufficient for certain defense lawyers, who still consider him as a "somewhat particular witness". Who do not understand why he does not sit with them on the bench of the defendants. And so they chained the questions to try to destabilize him on his degree of knowledge of the scam now characterized. As effective as trying to teach an old monkey to make a face or a politician to use tongue-in-cheek.
His role in the negotiation of a loan of 55 million euros?
"Reassure the banks worried about a possible defeat in the presidential election".
His knowledge of the cost of gigantic meetings?
"I mainly did small public meetings to support legislative candidates ..." And his meetings at the Élysée with Nicolas Sarkozy?
"We weren't talking about the subject of accounts ..."
#Bygmalion: “No, frankly, we never talked about it.
The subjects we are talking about are exclusively those related to the political campaign.
How do you respond to such and such?
But never, never, never, never, we will talk about these subjects.
"
- Vincent Vantighem (@vvantighem) June 9, 2021
But if Jean-François Cope has given up his national ambitions, he has not forgotten how to attack his opponents without appearing to be.
Finally without wanting to seem.
Relaunched again and again on the same subject, he ends up marveling at the lack of support from his political family when his name is mentioned a lot at the moment and "other names are never mentioned".
Before encouraging all the lawyers in the case to ask themselves the only valid question: "You have to ask yourself who all this has benefited from!"
"
Nicolas Sarkozy "undoubtedly benefited" from the fraud
We can easily imagine that Jean-François Copé is thinking of Serge Tournaire's formula when he pronounces this sentence.
In his order, the examining magistrate considered that Nicolas Sarkozy had not "ordered" the fraud, or even that he had "participated" in it or had "been informed" of it, but that he had "unquestionably benefited ”.
Unlike Jean-François Cope, this is what earned him to appear as a defendant in this case.
Tuesday, June 15, his turn will come to take the stand to defend himself.
Not for the honor.
But to convince him that he does not deserve a sentence of up to a year in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros.
Follow this trial live on our journalist's Twitter account: @vvantighem
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