At the Marseille criminal court,
“I want to be a light for others. » At the bar of the Marseille criminal court, impeccable in his suit and tie, with his hair in a crew cut, Gérard Gallas explains his philosophy of life in a rapid delivery, between two shoulder movements that make you think of tics. “I want to be an example, a shining light,” he adds. The more money I made, the more credibility I would have. You need high goals to inspire people. My primary objective was that. Succeed, inspire, train. I am passionate about personal development. I wanted to be an example of success not personally, but above all to inspire. »
If Gérard Gallas’ speech is imbued with a certain spiritualism, it is perhaps because of the atypical profile of this defendant, to say the least. Destined for a career as a priest, abandoned due to a vow of chastity which did not suit him, the fifty-year-old had become “bishop, responsible for the exorcism service of the traditional Catholic Church, apostolic filiation, old Catholic”. At the helm, he explains that he wanted to “prove to people that you can start from nothing with almost no diploma and create great things”.
Small apartments divided into even smaller areas
A great admirer of Mother Teresa, whose footsteps he claims to want to follow, Gérard Gallas nevertheless has a method which differs just a little from that of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize winner. A method which has earned this fifty-year-old to appear before the sixth chamber, accused of being one of the most important slumlords that Marseille has known, already largely affected by the scourge of poor housing. In this emblematic trial of degraded housing, the man must answer in particular for endangering others and subjecting several vulnerable or dependent people, including minors, to unworthy housing conditions.
Converted attics, presence of rubbish in the building courtyard, absence of hot water… A few hours earlier, the president of the sixth chamber had listed at length the dysfunctions in the very profitable apartments that Gérard Gallas rented in dilapidated buildings, to the point that one of them was the victim of a major fire, triggering the opening of the investigation. Small apartments that the “investor” divided into even smaller areas, to arrive at a total of… 122 unsanitary housing units in four different buildings.
Objective: 100 apartments per year
First a security guard in a supermarket in Carrefour, Gérard Gallas became a police officer, after having passed the competition “brilliantly”, he emphasizes. At the same time, in his own words, he embraced “a career as an investor” in real estate. In 2017, Gérard Gallas returned to his peacekeeping uniform with one objective: to become an annuitant by multiplying lucrative real estate investments, at a rate of 100 apartments per year. For this, Gérard Gallas firstly has a favorite area, which he speaks in the language of a seasoned businessman: the northern districts of Marseille.
“Theoretically, I had relatively high profitability in the northern districts of 10 or 15%,” he explains. With that, we generate cash flow. And it’s also a question of supply and demand. In the 15th arrondissement, a building can be purchased for 500,000 euros. The same in the city center costs 300,000 euros more. » The former police officer stationed for a long time in an administrative detention center, once converted into an owner, rents his slums to… asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants, all without a lease.
Housing with decrepit walls and no electricity
A method that he had collected in a book written in his sea view apartment on the Blue Coast, soberly titled How I became a multimillionaire in two years thanks to my real estate strategies. Taken aback, prosecutor Guillaume Bricier asked to read an extract during the hearing. “The universe can rely on me to channel its light. I earn several million euros per year. If I could do it, you can do it. In turn, spread this light around you. And together we can change the world. » “I wanted to be a source of inspiration,” explains Gérard Gallas. It is more than an intention. This is the purpose of my life. »
At the helm, while he says he is today riddled with debt to the point of currently being the subject of eviction proceedings from his home, Gérard Gallas outlines some regrets. The first is his overwhelming desire to succeed. “I was too ambitious,” he sighs. I acquired too many properties simultaneously. » The second, according to him, is having placed too much trust in his henchman and also co-defendant, who was absent during the hearing. “That’s my strategy now,” he proclaims. I no longer delegate 100%. I want to be impeccable. »
To listen to him, he is impeccable, and this is his last regret: that of having, according to him, unscrupulous tenants, who damage impeccable apartments. At the helm, one of his tenants, Adam, of Comorian origin, recounts his life in 9 m² with his wife and three children, in accommodation where there were “no windows, no meter”, the all for 370 euros monthly claimed manu militari, in cash. “I had difficulty living because there was no electricity,” he sighs. I had bought an extension cord and I got electricity from the neighbor who was often away. » The president projects images of the apartment in question, with decrepit walls. “I completely renovated this apartment,” says Gérard Gallas, supporting the inventory, provoking cries of indignation in the room. The toilets are new. The sink is new. The shower tray is new. » Arguments which annoy the public prosecutor. “It is very interesting to see what Mr. Gallas considers new,” notes Guillaume Bricier. Many of the reactions in the room show that no one believes it. And look at the notice from the town hall: each time, we take into account the humidity in the building. You could very well give it a lick of paint and say that it was new before signing the lease…” Gérard Gallas faces up to ten years in prison.