Accused of having taken advantage of meals, evenings, weekends and public holidays included, and laundry costs, all settled by the Var departmental council, the mayor of Toulon and ex-president of the department Hubert Falco denounced, Wednesday , “a demolition company”.
On the other hand, the elected official, like Marc Giraud, his successor at the head of the department between 2015 and 2022, heard on Tuesday, had no difficulty in recognizing that he frequently lunched at the expense of the department.
“There was a use”
“I never denied that I had lunch in the cafeteria of the county council when I went up to work there,” he explains to Céline Ballerini, the president of the Marseille criminal court, before which he is judged, until Friday, for concealment of embezzlement of public funds.
“These meals, I did not pay for them, because there was a custom which was that when a former general councilor or a mayor came to the departmental council, he did not pay. (…) I did not have the impression of committing anything illegal, ”continues the man who at the material time was still honorary president of the department and president of the mutual aid association of former general councilors of the Var.
On the other hand, Hubert Falco firmly denies the accusations, by several employees or officials of the community, evoking meals prepared especially for him and his wife in the evenings, weekends and public holidays, or clothes arriving at the departmental council to be taken to the dry cleaners.