The former director of the Cité du design in Saint-Étienne, Thierry Mandon (editor’s note: he resigned on October 19
), would have embezzled approximately 30,000 euros public money. This is what says Marc Chassaubéné, the chairman of the board of directors of the structure. He explains that these embezzlements would have been carried out by means of false invoices passing through the economic subsidiary of the Cité du design.
A hole of 1.4 million euros in the budget of the Cité du design
Marc Chassaubéné, who is also deputy mayor of Saint-Étienne and vice-president of the Saint-Etienne metropolis in charge of culture in particular, bases himself on the first conclusions ofan audit which he requested last month. The elected wanted to understand at that time, the reasons for a hole of 1.4 million euros in the budget of the Cité du design.
According to Marc Chassaubéné, the first conclusions of this audit show excessive spending and the budget presented by the Cité du design was allegedly falsified to hide these expenses from the members of the Board of Directors.
A report to the Saint-Étienne public prosecutor’s office
Another element of the audit: 30,000 euros would have been diverted through the economic subsidiary of the Cité du design. And it is on this point that Marc Chassaubéné made a report to the Saint-Étienne prosecutor’s office. Reached by France Bleu Saint-Étienne Loire, the public prosecutor, David Charmatz, indicates that he has not yet received the mail. As for Thierry Mandon, he did not respond to our requests on Monday.