The mayor of Metz, François Grosdidier, was sentenced on Tuesday February 7 to six months in prison suspended for “illegal taking of interests”, reports France Bleu Lorraine Nord. The elected official – also president of the Eurometropolis of Metz – is also sentenced to pay a fine of 10,000 euros.
After 10 years of proceedings, the Criminal Court of Epinal has rendered its decision. It is more lenient than the requisitions made by the prosecution during the trial in early January. The prosecutor then demanded a six-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 20,000 euros against the vice-president of the Grand-Est region.
François Grosdidier is accused of having used in 2011 – when he was a deputy – his parliamentary reserve to finance the association “Valeur Écologie”, a think tank of which he was the president. It was in 2012 that the case was revealed by Mediapart. The online media accuses François Grosdidier, then UMP deputy, of having paid 100,000 euros from his parliamentary reserve to the association in 2009 then 60,000 euros in 2011. In 2013, his opponent in the cantonal elections, Philippe Mousnier, filed a complaint . Four years later, in 2017, a dismissal was confirmed on appeal. Philippe Mousnier then appealed in cassation, with the support of the Anticor association. The file is reopened and entrusted to an investigating judge from Épinal.
10 years of procedure
In the meantime, François Grosdidier was elected mayor of Metz in 2020. A year later, in 2021, he was indicted and then sent back to the criminal court ofEpinal. Only the payment of 60,000 euros in 2011 is retained, the charges concerning that of 2009 being prescribed. For his part, François Grosdidier affirms to France Bleu not to have enriched himself personally. According to him, the association’s money was only used for its operation. The parliamentary reserve was abolished in 2018.
Ealso judged in this case for “concealment of illegal taking of interest”, Marie-Louise Kuntz, vice-president of the Moselle departmental council, was sentenced on Tuesday to two months in prison suspended and a fine of 2,000 euros. The Anticor association, a civil party in this case, obtained 1,500 euros.