In total, these private meals served to Mr. Falco and his wife on the public funds of the department would have amounted to at least 64,500 euros between 2015 and 2018, according to investigators.
"For Hubert Falco, it is very hard to appear when you have been exemplary all your life, but there is also a relief because we will finally be able to develop our arguments," pleaded his lawyer Thierry Fradet, asking the court of Marseille to cancel the procedure, or even to pronounce a stay of proceedings, or at least to order additional information.
A request finally rejected by the judges, who joined these requests to the merits, allowing the debates to begin around 14:30 p.m., for a trial still supposed to end Friday.
Mayor of Toulon since 2001, Mr. Falco, 75, ex-LR now rallied to President Emmanuel Macron, had also led the department of Var, from 1994 to 2002. Well after his departure, the elected Toulonnais, only honorary president of this community, would have continued to eat at the cafeteria, very regularly. At the expense of the institution then headed by Marc Giraud (LR), the other defendant in this case.
More seriously, according to Laurent Defraize, former head of the kitchens of the department, the evening and weekend meals of the elected official and his wife were always prepared by the staff, with ingredients bought from the budget of the departmental council. A butler and a cook were assigned to these tasks, also resulting in overtime pay by the general council.
And these meals and the food needed to make them were stored in a fridge dedicated to the mayor of Toulon. Hence "Falco's fridge".
Heard by investigators on February 26, 2020, this witness committed suicide less than a month later, on March 11, 2020.
"A real organization has been set up, (...) it's obsessive, there are all the symptoms of Falcomania," continued the lawyer, referring in particular to the work of some journalists or the trade unionist Unsa at the origin of the procedure by a report under Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Tuesday afternoon, the debates began with the hearing of Marc Giraud, prosecuted for embezzlement of public funds. Mr Falco will be heard on Wednesday.
© 2023 AFP