He will escape a public trial. Prosecuted for concealment of breach of trust, the mayor of Brest François Cuillandre will be summoned to court on September 21 as part of a guilty plea procedure, we learned on Wednesday from the prosecution. The elected socialist will thus be offered a sentence by the public prosecutor, during an interview in the presence of his lawyer. Then the president of the court will have to approve the procedure during a public hearing.
“It is not certain that it will succeed,” warned prosecutor Camille Miansoni. The mayor can indeed accept, or not, the sentence proposal or ask for a period of time to reflect. The president of the court may also refuse to approve the procedure. “We are on very unorthodox procedures, especially since the defendant has always disputed the facts”, denounced Maître David Rajjou, lawyer for the Anticor association, who intends to challenge the approval of the procedure.
A case of compensation for elected socialists
The case in which François Cuillandre is being prosecuted began on April 11, 2018 after the publication of several articles from the Telegram referring to possible embezzlement committed by the Vivre à Brest association. This association received the allowances of PS elected officials directly from the municipal treasury of Brest before paying them back to elected officials as part of a pooling system. François Cuillandre, although not participating in the pooling system since he was elected mayor in 2002, had received 46,000 euros between January 2007 and November 2016, in particular for reimbursement of campaign expenses or contributions to the Socialist Party, according to the correctional order.
The mayor had justified himself during the investigation by saying that he had been a major contributor to the association in the past, to the tune of 100,000 euros between 1989 and 2000, and had considered it normal that the association reimburse him for sums committed for the benefit of all elected socialists. He had also received 9,000 euros in advance or loans, including 4,000 euros intended to finance his son’s professional activity. Indicted in October 2019, he has always denied having committed an offense.