Six months suspended prison sentence required against former regional president Jacques Blanc, suspected of having awarded an abusive bonus of €64,000

Jacques Blanc tried to convince the magistrates of his good faith. Midi Libre – Célian Guignard

The former president of the Languedoc-Roussillon regional council is criticized for having awarded, in 2014, when he was still president of the Lozère Departmental Tourism Committee, more than 64,000 € retirement bonus to its former director Pierre Spirito, even though the latter's seconded civil servant status did not allow it. Aged 84, he was on the dock at the Mende criminal court this Thursday, January 11, 2024.

It is 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2024. The gates of the Mende judicial court are not yet open. Ahead, in the cold, a small group of a few people patient in the calm. Among them, thick cap screwed on his head, is Jacques Blanc. The man who was notably president of the regional council of Languedoc-Roussillon, between 1986 and 2004, is accompanied by his lawyer Jean-Marie Chabaud. For this first correctional hearing of the year, the former parliamentarian, aged 84, appears for breach of trust. He is specifically accused of having awarded, in 2014, when he was still president of the Departmental Tourism Committee (CDT) of Lozère, a retirement bonus of 64,374 euros ;nbsp;to its former director Pierre Spirito, even though the latter's seconded civil servant status did not allow it.

Once five other files have been returned, the debates begin. They mainly revolve around a report dated October 10, 2017 from the Regional Chamber of Accounts (CRC). The latter in fact carried out an audit, at the request of the new president of the Lozère department, Sophie Pantel, elected in 2015. The conclusions point to opaque management of the CDT, an organization with a budget of 4 million euros and 50% subsidized by public funds. They denounce an office made up only of Pierre Spirito and Jacques Blanc which, despite the statutes of the association, kept the council of ;administration of numerous decisions. This "spontaneous operation", as the former Secretary of State himself describes it, would then have resulted in the payment of this compensation, with a cost of  97,796 & ;euro;, employer contributions included,  for the Departmental Tourism Committee.

The decision rendered on February 8

But was the offense even committed ? On this point, obviously, between the defense and the civil party, opinions differ. For Mr. Anthony Chabert, CDT counsel registered with the Montpellier bar, who filed a complaint with the Mende public prosecutor on November 19, 2018, there is no room for doubt. ;nbsp;"We are here to dissect small arrangements between friends, he expresses during his pleading. This opaque operation is not trivial. The CDT finds itself deprived of resources that normally belong to it. We have some obvious diversions. Spirito was the spiritual son of Jacques Blanc. He wanted to reward him."

Jean-Marie Chabaud insists on the chronology: When Mr. Spirito retired at the end of September 2014, Jacques Blanc was no longer the president of the association for two weeks. If there is a breach of trust, it was only committed at the time the money was paid. His successor would therefore have ;could interrupt everything." The former president of the Nîmes bar also questioned the status of Pierre Spirito, at this precise time. "Was he a civil servant at the time he received these sums ? No, he was retired from the civil service." The person concerned had actually agreed to work a few additional months while waiting for a new director to arrive. "Then, it would have been necessary to calculate the compensation over six months and not over thirty years", had anticipated during his pleadings Me  Anthony Chabert, who had already read the conclusions of his opponent.

Requisitions: six months suspended

Were the two men aware that they were breaking the law ? Did they reach an agreement, away from any supervisory body? Jacques Blanc denies this. According to him, he only applied the collective agreement in force within the Departmental Tourism Committee in order to treat the director at the time as n' #39;any other employee in the structure. "Out of fairness", he summarizes. He had gone so far as to request the calculation of this bonus from the accounting firm and to inform the association's lawyer. And to assure that he knew nothing about this legal provision. For Me  Anthony Chabert, on the other hand, everything was planned, with a few exceptions: “No one had anticipated the loss of the departmental elections, that the CDT was going to change hands, that&#39 ;it was going to be audited by the CRC and that it was going to turn into a disaster."

After approximately five hours of debate, Jacques Blanc and Pierre Spirito, who is also appearing for concealment of breach of trust, take the stand one last time. They assure the court of their good faith, before leaving the room. President Benjamin Gayet and his two assessors, Edith Lledos and Yohann Jouan, will render their decision on Thursday, February 8, at 8:30 a.m. Will they follow Valéry Morron, the new public prosecutor of Mende, who has& nbsp;required six months suspended prison sentence for the two defendants ?