An assistant to the town hall of Terrasson, in Dordogne, resigned after her indictment in a case of illegal slot machines, indicates France Bleu Périgord, Saturday.
An elected official from the town hall of Terrasson, in Dordogne, “has decided to ask the prefect (…) to accept his resignation from his position as deputy mayor and municipal councilor with immediate effect“, indicates, Saturday September 30, the municipality in a press release. A woman indicted in a case of clandestine slot machines, indicates France Bleu Périgord. “Even if the presumption of innocence is applicable in all legal matters, municipal action cannot be tainted by personal matters“, we can read in this same document.
14 people were arrested on Tuesday. Three were indicted and placed under judicial supervision on Thursday, including this elected official and her husband, for “importation, possession, provision, installation and organized gang operation of gaming machines” and for “aggravated money laundering and participation in a criminal association“These three suspects are suspected of being at the head of a network installing clandestine slot machines in numerous bars in the region, the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office said on Friday.
More than a million and a half euros in winnings
The case began at the beginning of 2022 in Limoges, in Haute-Vienne, when gendarmes spotted the illegal presence of slot machines in an association bar. On the maintenance contract, investigators see the name of a company domiciled in Terrasson. The manager is none other than the husband of this elected official from the town, which has around 6,000 inhabitants, reports France Bleu Périgord.
After a year and a half of investigations, investigators discovered that clandestine slot machines – “one-armed bandits” – are present in numerous PMU bars and in community association premises in the departments of Haute-Vienne and Dordogne. , Corrèze, Lot and Aveyron. The machines are disguised as internet access terminals so as not to attract attention. “The winnings generated were more than 1.5 million euros“, indicates the Bordeaux public prosecutor’s office.
The searches carried out in France led to the seizure of four vehicles, 320,500 euros in bank accounts, 97,700 euros in cash and 17 slot machines. “Investigations continue“, adds the Bordeaux public prosecutor’s office. The investigation is entrusted to the central racing and games department of the judicial police in Paris.