Since 2013, “terrorized traders” denounced this “mafia” system. From Monday, eight men – an elected official and four ushers – will be tried by the Versailles court in a racketeering case on one of the most important markets in the Paris region, in Mantes-la-Jolie.
These defendants, aged 32 to 44, are accused of having set up or contributed to a large-scale racketeering. According to the prosecution, the system was based on the requirement of systematic tips in exchange for a location on the vast market in the popular district of Val-Fourré, about sixty kilometers west of Paris. In addition to “daily” tips to “double the fee”, the price of a place could go up to 12,000 euros.
“Efficient Omerta”
The ushers, who disputed the facts before the examining magistrate, will appear in particular for extortion, an offense punishable by seven years of imprisonment. Three of them will also be tried for money laundering, the investigators having uncovered money transfers to Dubai, Madagascar and Morocco. “My client did not receive a fair instruction,” assured Me Frédéric Landon, lawyer for one of the ushers. “The judge refused to confront him with the traders heard under X who implicate him,” he argued.
The many testimonies of traders, alluding to a mafia, to the reigning terror “were mostly collected on condition of anonymity “for fear of reprisals”, according to the order for reference, which evokes a system based on ” an omerta (…) effective”. Trucks of traders were set on fire during the investigation. Three men will be judged for these destructions.
“Stories of shenanigans”
For his part, Sidi El Haimer, then first deputy mayor, is accused of having pressured a tradeswoman who testified by sending her ushers to get her to retract. The one who was then acting mayor for a few months in 2022, will be tried for “witness tampering” and risks up to three years in prison. Sidi El Haimer “places all his confidence in the judicial authority of judgment to finally reveal his innocence and clear his honor”, assured his lawyer Alexandre Simonin.
During the investigation, the former mayor of Mantes-la-Jolie and current LR president of the Departmental Council, Pierre Bédier, was heard but not implicated. Anonymous letters pointed to his potential involvement, while the president of the company Mandon – who took over the management of the market in April 2018 and is a civil party in this case – affirmed, in particular in telephone interceptions, to have been imposed by Pierre Bédier hiring ushers.
The town hall is also a civil party. “We hope that this trial will repair the image damage to the city of Mantes-la-Jolie, which we always bring back to stories of shenanigans”, declared the current city councilor, Raphaël Cognet (LR).