The former socialist deputy Henri Jibrayel will he go to prison? Eighteen months in prison including six suspended sentences were required, Wednesday in Marseille against him. He is accused of having used public funds to gamble at the casino and to repay the loan of a vehicle for private use.
Prosecutor Mathieu Vernaudon also demanded a fine of 10,000 euros and ineligibility for three years for this “embezzlement” of public funds paid by the National Assembly.
Casino prohibited
“The money spent on gambling is my money, I did not use public money, I say it solemnly”, defended the former politician, elected in the poor neighborhoods of the north of Marseille and now 70 years old. He admitted his gambling addiction “for personal reasons” and was banned from the casino.
His defender Me Jorge Mendes Constante demanded his release, “this file does not allow to say that the money played came from the National Assembly”, according to him. The prosecutor justified his requisitions by practices “seriously detrimental to the social pact that Henri Jibrayel must support”.
“This kind of behavior, the use of public funds for personal ends, contributes to the weakening of democracy,” he said. The judgment will be rendered on November 22. Henri Jibrayel is to be tried on November 17 by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal in another case of breach of trust and illegal taking of interest.