Owner of dozens of unsanitary apartments in Marseille, an ex-policeman and his alleged henchman will be tried in November. In all, in his own name or through civil real estate companies (SCI), this former police officer, who had worked in an administrative detention center, owned around ten buildings in Marseille and its surroundings.
It is four of these buildings only that will earn him to appear from November 13 to 16 before the criminal court, a date set for Friday during a so-called pretrial hearing. Like his presumed henchman, charged according to the prosecution with collecting the rents, including by being threatening or violent, he will be tried for having subjected the occupants of these accommodations to accommodation conditions incompatible with human dignity and for endangering the lives of others.
The town hall of Marseille civil party, a first
The two men face ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 euros. The investigation had started after the outbreak of a fire in one of the buildings targeted by the procedure. The investigators had discovered unsanitary apartments, with dangerous electrical installations, where cockroaches or bedbugs swarmed.
These accommodations were occupied by foreigners, undocumented or asylum seekers, families, often with minor children. It was impossible for them to refuse these offers found by word of mouth – the rents can go up to 600 euros per month – for lack of being able to find other proposals, they assured the investigators.
During the investigation, the owner assured in particular that he would have carried out the necessary work if he had been aware of the state of these dwellings. The town hall of Marseille has announced that it will be a civil party, as in two other cases of unsanitary housing, for the first time.