The so-called “Falco fridge” trial, where the mayor of Toulon is accused of concealment of embezzlement of public funds for meals supposedly paid for by the Var departmental council, for three years, opened on Tuesday with a long procedural guerrilla war .
In total, these private meals served to Hubert Falco and his wife on public funds from the department would have amounted to at least 64,500 euros between 2015 and 2018, according to investigators.
End of trial Friday
“For Hubert Falco, it is very hard to appear when you have been exemplary all your life, but there is also a relief because we will finally be able to develop our arguments”, pleaded his lawyer Me Thierry Fradet, asking the court to Marseille to cancel the procedure, or even to pronounce a stay of proceedings, or at least to order additional information. A request finally rejected by the judges, who joined these requests to the merits, allowing the debates to begin around 2:30 p.m., for a trial still supposed to end on Friday.
Mayor of Toulon since 2001, Hubert Falco, 75, ex-LR now rallied to President Emmanuel Macron, had also led the department of Var, from 1994 to 2002. Long after his departure, the Toulon elected official, only honorary president of this community, would have continued to eat in the cafeteria very regularly. At the expense of the institution then headed by Marc Giraud (LR), the other defendant in this case.