The current deputy mayor of Toulouse, Laurence Arribagé is referred to the Paris Criminal Court on suspicion of an attempt at electoral destabilization targeting her rival, the macronist Corinne Vignon, during the 2017 legislative elections. The elected representative of the Pink City was then the outgoing LR deputy for the 3rd constituency of Haute-Garonne, disputed by the LREM candidate.
By order of September 12, the one who is now patron of the federation Les Républicains 31 will be tried for concealment of slanderous denunciation, concealment of violation of professional secrecy and concealment of illegal taking of interests, according to this judicial source confirming information of Mediacities.
Two other people will be judged alongside him: Marc Menvielle, former number two in public finance in Occitanie, and Frédéric Sartorelli, Corinne Vignon’s former employer.
Interfere in the legislative campaign
The case dates back to between the two rounds of the 2017 legislative elections. While the two candidates were campaigning, Corinne Vignon was targeted by a denunciation of concealed work, launched by Marc Menvielle, deputy director of public finances for the Occitanie region. , which had been taken to court. A charge that did not prevent her from being elected deputy at the expense of Laurence Arribagé.
At the time of the opening of the judicial information in January 2021, the Toulouse prosecutor’s office had mentioned “a fraudulent and concerted enterprise aimed at interfering in this campaign”.
Marc Menvielle had denounced, without informing his hierarchy, without prior investigation, facts likely to harm Corinne Vignon, for the benefit of Laurence Arribagé, with the complicity of a magistrate, according to a source close to the investigation. The magistrate in question, Patrice Michel, deputy prosecutor of Toulouse at the time and now retired, was not indicted during the investigation but placed under the more favorable status of assisted witness, according to a source. close to the survey. He is therefore not sent back to correctional.
Corinne Vignon, amateur astrologer in addition to being a salesperson, had made three horoscopes a few years earlier, for an amount of around 200 euros, without declaring them. These facts, objects of the report for concealed work, having been considered derisory, the Toulouse prosecutor’s office had finally closed the procedure without further action.